


Destiny Beckons

by Ink and Quills (AngelsStingrayGhost)



Series: Hunters Aren't Afraid [2]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Attempt at Humor, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, God's a Dick, Humor, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Torture, Inappropriate Humor, Original Character Death(s), Past Character Death, Past Torture, Past Violence, Psychological Torture, Temporary Character Death, Threats of Violence, Torture, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-25
Updated: 2017-04-25
Packaged: 2018-10-23 19:42:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 22,684
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10725915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngelsStingrayGhost/pseuds/Ink%20and%20Quills
Summary: The Winchesters should have known the dead beat dad known as God wasn't done screwing with them. While researching and trying to unravel a mystery involving Hellhounds, the dwindling team Freewill has an unexpected surprise arrive on their door step. Oh boy does Pippin have a lot of explaining to do.





	1. Previously On

 Previously:  Pippin swayed on her feet before suddenly dropping onto the floor behind the Witch's body. Whatever spell that had fallen over the three hunters was broken and they rushed over to their fallen comrade as fast as they could.  Blood bubbled up from her mouth and she coughed heavily, he scarlet liquid running down her lips and chin. Emmy frantically pressed her hands against the bullet wound, between two ribs under her right breast, Pippin cried out weakly at the touch as she convulsed slightly, her hands clenching into fists and then relaxing in a spasm like motion.  
        "Oh my Glob Pippin!" Em cried out in desperation as tears threatened to spill over. Pippin's eyes fluttered as she made a gurgling like sound, choking on the blood that was steadily filling her lungs. She turned her head and dissolved into a coughing fit, coughing up a large amount of blood before gasping for breath.  
        "I-It's 'kay." Pippin slurred before her eyes fluttered and closed.  
        "No! No! I'm so sorry, Pippin please! Don't die!" Emmy begged as Dean patted the dying hunters cheek.  
        "Hey! Don't you go to sleep! Don't close your eyes Pippin!" Dean ordered as her eyes slowly fluttered open once more, her chest heaving in effort to pull in oxygen.  
        "Gabriel, Castiel! Get your feathered asses down here!" Dean barked out as Emmy let the tears roll down her cheeks. The flutter of wings pierced the air seconds afterwards, followed by Castiel's desperate voice echoing throughout the warehouse.  
        "Nanaeel ipamis die! Please!" Cas begged as he ran over to Pippin. She simply smiled weakly at the Angel.  
        "Cas..."She breathed out before her chest fell still.  

Now:  
        Emmy frowned as she tried desperately to focus on the lore of the Dijnn that Sam had given her to read, even though she always had Pippin's journal close by or on her person at all times. She felt a sudden pain that radiated from her chest at the thought of the precious hunter. She tried to focus back on the same sentence she had been reading for the past five minutes but found herself distracted once more when Dean laid his head on her lap as he surfed the internet for more leads. In the four month span since Vela and Pippin's death the two hunters had finally fessed up about how they felt for each other. A lot had changed since they went to bury Pippin on Langlois Mountain. Castiel and Gabriel had went off on their separate ways. The three hunters still worried constantly about Castiel, seeing how broken up he was after he arrived seconds before she died. He had cradled her to his chest, yelling at her in Enchoian. It hadn't been a welcome sight and Dean had to all but tear Cas away from her body. At first the boys had wanted to burn her body but Emmy had swiftly stepped in and refused to allow them to do that. She had foolishly thought she could trade something she had for Pippin's return so after the burial she tracked down a crossroads demon only to find out that Pip hadn't gone to Hell. Both a relief and a heartbreaker; Emmy and the others had to move on. It hadn't been easy either. Emmy often spent a good majority of the time trying not to think about how it was her fault for Pip's death. How she had been the one to pull the trigger. How-

        "You're doing it again." Dean's concerned voice broke up her thoughts and she glanced down at him. His green eyes and dirty-blond hair. The freckles that was splattered across his cheeks. God she had it bad for Dean Winchester. She was thankful for him though. He knew when she started thinking overwhelming thoughts about Pippin and began to blame herself for her friends' death. It had taken her an admittedly long time for anyone to get it through her head that Pip knew that if Emmy pulled the trigger that her bullet was possibly going to go through them both. But it was mostly Dean that helped keep her in check and in turn she did the same. They had become pretty adapt at reading each other. She smiled gratefully at Dean before leaning down and giving him a brief kiss.

        "Thanks Dean." She mumbled sweetly before Dean sat up and wrapped his arm around her waist and drew her in close to him.

        "You ready to gank this fugly Dijnn?" He asked as he lowered his voice an octave or two and Emmy felt a shiver run down her spine. She closed the Winchester's journal and Pippin's journal and sat them aside on the table.

        "Mhm. It'll be nice going back to what I'm good at." She responded, causing Dean to chuckle slightly, his voice rumbling from his chest and through her back. She suppressed another shiver that had nothing to do with the temperature of the room before she rested her head against his chest tiredly. He automatically raised his hand to run it through her hair and she practically melted into the touch. Emmy let out a heavy sigh while her eyes closed lazily. She defiantly liked naps more often now that her and Dean were an 'item'.

        "Well I've got everything packed and Sam is waiting in the car so let's get moving." He stated and Emmy grumbled slightly as her comfy pillow moved to get up, pulling her up along with him. They moved through the garage of where they were staying for the time being, passing a tarp covered object that Emmy firmly tried to ignore, not wanting the painful memories to rise to the surface. They slid into the Impala, Dean in the driver's seat and Emmy in the passenger seat. Ever since Dean and Emmy had gotten together Sam had been demoted to the back seats.

        The drive to Pippin's old house had been uneventful other than the prank war that Dean had started between himself and Sam. They pulled up to the house, the gravel flying slightly, before Dean shut off the Impala and got out of the car, stretching. Emmy slid out behind him and Sam before she ended up staring at the house. It wasn't anything super stupendous or stunning, it was just a normal house with two bedrooms and two bathrooms. They casually strolled up to the front, passing the garage on their way to the door, when something in a triangle of concrete caught Em's attention.

        "Em?" Dean asked in curiosity as she bent down and brushed some of the dirt out of the faded and hard to make out words above the small hand print that could have only belonged to a child. Emmy didn't know anything about the house so she was honestly surprised to see the handprint. She squinted her eyes as she brushed her bangs out of her face, trying to make out the scrawled and messy letters.

        "What's it say?" Sam asked in equal curiosity, leaving Dean to keep an eye on their surroundings, as he bent down next to her. Emmy's heart felt like it was being squeezed tightly, to the point where she thought she couldn't breathe. In the concrete above that tiny hand was the simple name, 'Pippin'.

        "Oh my Glob." She breathed out before standing up and backing away, stumbling slightly in her haste to get away from the concrete triangle. "She lived here. This is the house she was so fond of." She mumbled, Dean trying to soothe her as he ran the pads of his thumbs in circles on her shoulders.

        "Hey Em. Look at me." Dean demanded softly, causing Emmy's head to lift up and look at him with sorrow written across her features. "It's gonna be alright, okay?" Dean said and Emmy slowly nodded her head before gathering all her strength and courage. Sam opened the front door slowly as Dean and Emmy held back, just in case. The tense moment went by and Sam recoiled as he coughed slightly, the smell of rotting flesh and burnt flesh mixing unpleasantly together. Emmy gagged a bit and Dean pulled up the collar of his t-shirt to cover his nose, blocking out the worst of the pungent stench. Sam motioned for them to come see inside and they moved stealthily while trying to ignore the smell. Once they reached the door way Emmy reeled back in shock at the scene inside. The living room was in pure chaos. The IV stands that the Dijnn had been using were thrown about and cracked into multiple pieces. The couch was was violently overturned and as the three stepped inside they found the source of the rotting smell. A decaying body sat in the corner of the room, not including the bones scattered about the room. Sam bent down and picked up a piece of fabric, flannel by the appearance of it. A nearby barrel was labelled 'Dijnn', the inside filled with the burnt ashes of what had to have been their Dijnn they were hunting.

        "Someone had a blast. Look, they broke off the bone of this poor bastards leg and used the IV stand to beat back the Dijnn until they could get their knife." Dean pointed out as Sam brought the bloodied flannel scrap of flannel over for the others to examine.

        "Whoever it was they didn't make it out unscathed. Took off a huge chunk of the flannel." Sam inserted quickly before they hustled out of the house and back into the Impala. Emmy sighed heavily as she rested her head against the window, wanting to sleep but knowing the drive back to Pippin's Grandparents house wasn't all that long.

 

         “So did you lovebirds have fun with the Dijnn?” Gabriel asked flippantly as he closed the laptop with a soft click before pushing it to the side and turning around, trying to avoid hitting the dogs in the process. Emmy shot Gabe a look that clearly meant yes before she collapsed onto the nearest couch while beckoning Dean to cuddle with her silently.

        "What was left of him at least. Someone had gotten there before us and took care of the problem." Sam explained to the Archangel as he snatched his laptop back from him and settled into one of the recliner seats. The silence permeated the air heavily for a moment before Gabriel shrugged a little and began scratching Winnie's stomach.

        "So what now Samsquatch?" He asked in curiosity as Sam frowned as he started typing an email to the retired hunters that where vacaying in Mexico. Sam ignored Gabriel's question and Gabe quirked an eyebrow in his direction. 

        It was a cool day, no rain, and very little wind which was unusual for the Oregon coast. Emmy traveled down the dirt trail, taking in the gently swaying trees and the nature surrounding her on all sides. It started softly at first, barely audible and Emmy just ignored it and continued on her way. Suddenly the tune got louder and she could hear a voice singing familiar lyrics. 

        " Talk to me softly  
        There's something in your eyes  
        Don't hang your head in sorrow  
        And please don't cry  
        I know how you feel inside I've  
        I've been there before  
        Somethin's changin' inside you  
        And don't you know,"

        Emmy looked around for the soft, familiar voice and the person it belonged to. She started down another path as the voice grew louder and clearer in quality. She snuck through more bushes and up a second trail before coming upon a clearing with trees uprooted and unnaturally thrown to the ground. She focused on the person sitting with her legs crossed on the tombstone that resided in the middle of the wreckage. 

        "Don't you cry tonight  
        I still love you baby  
        Don't you cry tonight  
        Don't you cry tonight  
        There's a heaven above you baby  
        And don't you cry tonight," Pippin sang softly, a warm and inviting smile graced across her lips as she slowly dropped off the words and continued humming the tune happily.

        Emmy jolted awake at the same time Dean did and the painfully smashed their foreheads together before Emmy rolled off the couch by accident and hit the floor.

        "Sonofvabitch..." Dean muttered huskily as he clutched his nose tightly while Emmy frantically scrambled to her feet while apologizing repeatedly over and over again. Sam rushed into the room, whiter than a sheet as if he'd seen a clown.

        "Sorry to inturrupt the cuddle fest but you two need to see this.


	2. Klexos

 Emmy and Dean just stared at Sam blankly before they heard the dogs barking and going absolutely nuts. The two scrambled to their feet as Sam turned the corner, disappearing into the kitchen, and followed close behind as he threw open a door that lead downstairs to the garage, like an alternative entrance. Emmy and Dean stumbled behind him before they froze in their tracks. The tarp that had been covering Ghost had been ripped off and bundled into a ball, resting in a corner of the garage. Stuff was scattered about and among it all was a single blue rosary.

        "Isn't that Pippin's?" Dean asked seriously, his voice coming out muffled from behind his hand. Emmy nodded as she bent down and picked it up carefully, her dream coming back to her in a flash of realization. A premonition? She wasn't sure. If it was it didn't make sense considering Pip was dead and gone. Just as she was about to turn around and explain her dream, Dean's cell rang and he excused himself to go answer it. It didn't take long for Dean to come back, a scowl burned across his face as he hung up the phone.

        "Who was that?" Sam asked as Emmy pocketed the rosary and faced Dean. Dean frowned and ran his hand through his short hair before answering.

        "That was Aaron, the hunter that owns that place up on Langlois Mountain." He started seriously and Emmy raised her eyebrow in confusion. Why would he be calling? "He's got something to show us. Something about Pipper's grave." He explained before striding over to the Impala and opening the driver side door.

        "You okay to hold down the fort Sam?" He asked and Sam nodded before Emmy opened the other door and slide inside. Dean started up the Impala and they took off towards Langlois Mountain.

 

         Emmy sighed heavily as Dean drove up the winding road that lead to the spot on Langlois Mountain where Camp Fircroft used to be. The place was abandoned and no one went there anymore but Dean ended up knowing the hunter who owned the land now and he allowed them to bury Pippin on top of the mountain. Emmy played with the blue, cold, metal rosary before she turned her head to look out the window as the fog and rain swirled around the Impala, drowning in her thoughts as Carry On My Wayward Son played quietly in the background. Dean was just as tense and lost in his thoughts as his partner, trying to piece together what the hell was going on. They approached the turn off for the Camp site. The quiet persisted as he parked his Impala in the old gravel parking lot before they opened the car doors and stepped out into the pouring rain that pelted them relentlessly. They walked over to an older gentleman with graying hair and beard, much like Bobby, and standing next to him was...Emmy did a spit take, spitting out her coffee violently at the sight of Castiel standing next to Aaron. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously as she gazed at the Angel. What was he doing here? Castiel shifted uncomfortably before Aaron just motioned for them to follow him with his hand before he headed off towards where the paintball field was located.

        "What brings you here Cas?" Dean asked as he tried to be the bigger person and bridge the gap between Emmy and the Angel that had grown over the four months he had vanished. Castiel turned his head to glance at Dean before he responded in that liquor smooth voice they hadn't heard since the burial four months ago.

        "Aaron contacted me about the strange happenings that were going on at Pippin's burial sight." He explained as simply as possible, stepping over a tree root as they traveled further down the path in what would have been the paint ball's woods course before Aaron stopped suddenly. Emmy immediately did another spit take as the four observed Pippin's grave and the area surrounding it. There had to be at least a mile wide radius around the actual grave where the trees had practically been razed to ground around it, the only thing still standing was the tombstone that marked the head of her grave. Dean and Castiel shared a knowing look while Emmy tried to comprehend the scene in front of her. It looked exactly how it was in the dream but more wet and windy than the dream had perceived it. She noticed shoe prints that were steadily being washed away by the rain before she turned to Dean and Castiel.

        "What is all this mean?" She asked, Aaron coming over and beginning to track the footprints that stumbled away from the grave sight.

        "Remember when I told you about Cas raising me from Hell?" Dean asked and Emmy nodded, remembering that conversation vividly. He sighed as Castiel paced slightly before he continued on with his explanation. "Well this is what it looked like...exactly." He motioned to the clearing around the grave. Emmy turned to look at Castiel, who hesitantly met her stare.

        "But Pippin wasn't in Hell." She deadpanned and Castiel nodded in confirmation.

        "No she wasn't but she also wasn't in Heaven as far I know. I searched the entirety of Heaven looking for her." He stated bluntly and Dean looked at Cas with an unreadable expression before he jumped back into the conversation.

        "Did you check the Axis Mundi and The Garden?" Dean asked and Castiel nodded his head before turning to look at the footsteps being washed away.

        "We should help Aaron." Emmy said shortly as she brushed past Castiel in something a kin to anger.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

      Emmy had been stewing in her thoughts dangerously ever since they returned back to the house, a mixture of anger, hurt, and denial. Castiel was awkwardly rubbing the belly of an Australian Shepard and Border Collie mix named Maddie. Skidder, a Chinese Shar-pei, was lounging next to Sam as he scrolled through his laptop. The two smallest dogs of the group were two Pomeranian's named King and Bella, both sleeping next to Dean and Emmy's legs and Winnie was lounging around on the living room floor, watching Gabriel pacing back and forth in front of the giant window as the rain pattered against the glass.

        "I can't believe you didn't burn her body Emberlyn! Now someone from the God Squad is using her body as a meat suit!" Gabriel finally snapped and Emmy's head jerked up to glare at the Archangel.

        "Gabriel please just drop it." Sam cut in, recoiling slightly at the furious glare he gave him before turning back to Emmy. "I get you're pissed but right now we need to pack our things and go into town. We've got a Hellhound case and they need our help." He continued regardless of the looks shot his way and Dean nodded quickly, also cutting in before Emmy tried to kill Gabriel.

        "Fine but this isn't over yet." Gabriel ground out before he had vanished with the fluttering of wings. Emmy took a deep, steadying breath before she bent down and picked up her packed bag, already prepared for the hunt. Dean passed her some nerd glasses with tinted lenses before putting on some of his own. 

        "For the Hellhounds. Trust me, being able to see them makes this a lot easier."

She could hardly breathe and the small space she was confined in immediately gave a new meaning to "claustrophobia".

        "H-Help!" She rasped out, coughing heavily as her vocal chords resisted the command to vocalize sound. She pressed the palm of her hand against the top of her tomb and felt the wood underneath. She managed to weakly kick and break the wood containing her only to have a dirt and mud mixture flood in through the broken hole. She freaked out before starting to claw her way out of the ground frantically but not before she pulled off the jacket that she was wearing and wrapped it around her head so she could have air for a little bit longer. After agonizingly long minutes of fighting her way through the dirt she broke the surface with her hand and desperately heaved herself out of the shallow grave she had been stuck in. She tilted her face upwards towards the rain as she just took in being alive and whole.

 

        The house was seriously nice. An old Victorian home with giant windows and three floors of pure awesomeness. There was some initial confusion because another hunter had showed up and already set up a safe room for most of the family up in the attic, small pouches hanging on the door and scattered around the entire room. But after some convincing the lady let them in and they met the rest of the family upstairs, night beginning to fall. It was the Father that had made the deal with the demon. He wanted a better life for his family, being poor at the time, and so it was a good intention but a terrible way to go about making it a reality. Demon deals were not something to be taken lightly and something that people in general shouldn't fuck with. Emmy loaded her old bow from the Vela hunt while Sam and Dean put on their matching nerd glasses, the lenses tinted with holy fire so they could see the Hellhounds. She leaned out the window to survey the yard, lit up with multiple garage lights that could blind a person.

        "We need to kill these Hellhounds and then we can deal with Crowley about this dudes soul." Dean said as he listened intently to the sounds outside. Castiel silently stood beside the front door, holding his Angelblade at the ready while Sam fiddled with the demon blade. Emmy simply nodded, too tense to verbally agree with the plan. Another hour went by before they heard the grass rustling and the sudden, chilling, howls of multiple Hellhounds. Everybody tensed up as the cursed dogs slammed into the front door, trying to break through it. Abruptly they heard someone scream out a war cry and they heard the dying cry of a Hellhound before the person was slammed up against the door, cracking it horribly and almost taking it off it's hinges. The snarling and growling pierced the cries and yells of pure pain before they heard the final dying howl of a Hellhound. The silence was tense and the air was super charged with adrenaline and electricity. The seconds ticked by before the door was flung open and a woman stumbled inside before slamming the door shut, leaning against it heavily, her breathing ragged. Her left arm was sliced into, straight down to the bone, and the flannel sleeve was cut off and being used as a make shift bandage to cover it. There was a nasty bite that had punctured clean through the fabric of her jeans and into her right thigh.

        "Fuck me!" She hissed in agony before she noticed the looks she was getting from the other three hunters and Castiel. Blood heavily covered her face and she moved to wipe it off with the sleeve still intact before she addressed them. 

        "I offed three but there's at least ten more on the way." She coughed. "The demon controlling the Hellhounds doesn't follow Crowley or his rule." She finished and Emmy quickly sat her down on the couch she had been occupying. She didn't recognize this new hunters voice and she was so heavily covered in blood that she wouldn't be able to tell what she actually looked like until she was cleaned up.

        "Thanks for the help but we'll take it from here." Emmy said and the woman brushed her hand off and stood back up, leaning more of her weight onto her left leg than her right.

        "You guys aren't gonna survive that many Hellhounds, even with Castiel over there." She exclaimed, motioning to the surprised Angel before they were interrupted once more by the chilling howls that echoed around the house. The new hunter tightened her grip on her own Angelblade as they made a tense circle at the base of the stairs. Emmy screeched as a Hellhound vaulted through one of the many windows, shattering the glass and sending it everywhere, before she let the arrow go. It pierced the throat of the shadowy dog that she was looking at and effectively killed it. The body rolled to a stop at her feet as more shattering of windows followed and a wave of Hellhounds raced towards them. The newest hunter let out another formidable cry, making the hounds waver slightly before they pressed on and she vaulted forward, wrapping her arm in a headlock around one's neck and plunging the blade through the head, the sound the skull made as the blade crushed its' bone was sickening and Castiel swiftly smited the hound that had jumped onto her back. Dean and Sam had teamed up together to take on one that was trying to rip Sam's arm off. The battle was bloody and quick. Emmy sliced the throat of the last Hellhound as everybody took a breather. It wasn't even Midnight yet according to the clock on the wall and they were already exhausted.

        "Anybody else need a--AHHHHHH!!" The woman that had joined the team screamed as a hidden Hellhound snatched her by the ankle and drug her away from the rest of the group. The others jumped to make a move before they were flung against the wall and held there.

        "tisk, tisk. You meddling Winchesters and your pets." The newest woman said as the Hellhound dragged the hunter behind one of those white changing screens that was currently lit up by a lamp behind it so they could see the silhouettes of the hunter and Hellhound. She screamed and kicked it in the face, the beast recoiling in pain before it lashed out at her again, claws slicing into her skin like jelly. Emmy, Dean, Cas, and Sam struggled against the demons' grip on them in a desperate attempt to help their fellow hunter.

        "Sorry boys but that family you were trying to protect? I killed 'em all." The Demon giggled before blood was splattered violently against the screen as the Hellhound and hunter screamed at the same time. The Demon casually looked over before sighing while they all collectively stopped struggling and looked down at their feet in defeat.

        "I really expected more of a fight out of her. Oh well, I have four new toys to play with so no loss there really." She smiled twistedly at the others. Emmy spat out some blood at the Demon and she glared dangerously at Emmy. "Starting with this little brat." She growled before Dean started struggling full time once more.

        "Touch her and I'll fudging kill you!" He snarled at the Demon and the Demon pouted mockingly.

        "Oh Dean you actually like this pet? Stunning." She teased darkly. Abruptly a metal pipe appeared from nowhere and struck the Demon in the head violently, causing the others to flinch in sympathy pain. The Demon collapsed onto the floor, right in a Devil's Trap that had been hidden by the rug. Everyone stared at the bloody mess that was the hunter, who was breathing heavily and leaning on the pipe like it was a crutch.

        "Get fucked Sabra. You didn't even get into the attic." She snapped as the Demon named Sabra started laughing.

        "And how do you know that little Abomination?" Sabra spat out like venom and the hunter grinned darkly.

        "Because I warded it against Demons."

        "Checkmate." Sabra growled begrudgingly before she turned away and smiled once more. "But you do realize what the rug rubbed away right?" She asked condescendingly before wheeling around and throwing a knife at the hunter. The hunter cried out as the blade nicked her right arm before her hand flew up and an invisible force threw Sabra across the room and into the wall, breaking the plaster. Sabra struggled to her feet and glared at the hunter.

        "You're getting slow Ruger. How much blood have you lost?" Sabra taunted and Emmy's brain froze at the last name. Pippin was dead. This wasn't possible!

"Not enough to kill me." She bit back, causing Sabra to laugh darkly.

"I suppose i should fix that then." She responded before the spell holding the other four down broke and they hit the ground as the other hunter chucked the heavy metal pipe at the Demon. One moment Sabra was there and the next she was gone and Pippin turned to face the others, speaking with urgency.

        "Sam, Dean! Go check the attic and make sure Sabra didn't get in there." She insisted and they swiftly went to obey the orders as Emmy and Castiel approached her. She tilted dangerously to one side before Castiel reached over and pressed his fingers against her forehead, healing her instantly. She sighed heavily in relief before Emmy tackled her to the ground and Pippin screamed in agony as most of her weight landed on her right side.

        "GET OFF!" Pippin cried out and Emmy scrambled to get up as Pippin wheezed, curling up into a ball.

        She winced in agony as she took a stumbling step forward, tripping over a tree root as she tried to maneuver her away out of the sea of trees. The rain that was filtered through the canopy was slowly washing away dried and caked blood she had been covered in previously. Her hair had turned brown as the water drenched her further and it clung to her face as she pulled the soaked jacket closer to her body in a desperate attempt to conserve what little heat she had left. She shivered and trembled while stumbling forward, tank top being used as a bandage to hide her scar so the patter of the rain against her skin wouldn't intensify the pain she was in, as she trudged through the ferns and bushes. She fell into another raspy coughing fit and she spasmed slightly while letting out a hoarse scream of pain. She knew the road she was traveling down like the back of her hand but she had no recollection how she made it from Langlois Mountain to Cape Blanco Road. She had blacked out for most of the agonizing walk and she knew she had been doing this for hours. She was having trouble feeling her fingers and toes and she was utterly soaked. If only she could reach her grandparents house. She would be safe there right? She cried out again as she collapsed to her knees in the bushes where she was hidden from the road as the sound of a familiar car drove past. She shivered before she started crawling on her hands and knees down the side of the road towards the house. She needed to get there before she died from something like hypothermia.  
   
       The memory flashed in front of Pippin's eyes as her Grace slowly settled back down into a dull aching sensation, Emmy holding her shoulders in fear.


	3. Nodus Tollens

Nodus Tollens:  
n. the realization that the plot of your life doesn’t make sense to you anymore—that although you thought you were following the arc of the story, you keep finding yourself immersed in passages you don’t understand, that don’t even seem to belong in the same genre—which requires you to go back and reread the chapters you had originally skimmed to get to the good parts, only to learn that all along you were supposed to choose your own adventure. - From the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows.

        Pippin, cried out sharply as Castiel stooped down low and pressed his hand against her scar roughly. Incoherent yelling and begging escaped her lips as she writhed in pain before it suddenly stopped and she was left panting on the floor. The bullet wound scar was only the size of a quarter and placed near her right breast, between two ribs. She opened her eyes once she felt like she wasn't going to explode and found her head resting in Castiel's lap while his fingers combed through her hair and massaged her temples every once in a while. Emmy looked down at her with a mixture of worry and something else she couldn't quite name. Something about Emmy had changed drastically. And of course that doesn't mean they don't have numerous questions for her but at the moment they were trying to help her out as best as they could. Cas apparently had explained that her Grace was raw and sensitive, being ripped out and then stuck back in. It was a painful experience that she never wanted to relive EVER.

        "Em you're gonna have to drive Ghost tomorrow. There's no way I'm making the trip as driver." She finally mumbled, her eyes closed and her mouth done up in a permanent frown. Castiel shook his head firmly, causing Pippin to open her eyes and stare at him.

        "I'll take you back to the Men of Letters Bunker Pippin. Your Grace can't handle the cross country trip." He informed her and she groaned dramatically before Emmy chuckled lightly at Pippin being a drama queen.

        "Don't worry Pip. Ghost's in good hands." She said before helping her sit up and handing her an ice pack. "Cas knows how to take care of you better than the rest of us so you'll be better off with him." She finished honestly and Pippin sighed as Castiel reached over. With a touch and flash of light the two were gone.  
         Pippin felt her legs give out as they touched the ground of the kitchen that resided in the bunker and Castiel caught her before she had a chance to crack her head on the counter top. She weakly tried to brush off the Angel's help but it quickly became apparent that she wasn't going anywhere without help. She begrudgingly allowed Cas to pick her up and carry her to the living room where he unfolded the couch into a bed, seeing that she was just not strong enough to handle the trip to her room. He placed her onto the mattress and she flopped over onto her uninjured side. She was just done. She was starting to find it hard to keep fighting and hunting when it didn't seem to go anywhere. And what  was up with Joshua and his cryptic messages? Could he just not speak like a normal damn person? Pippin sighed heavily and blew out some air past her tortured lips before she started suddenly at the sudden weight of Castiel's arm wrapping hesitantly around her waist. She quickly relaxed into the touch and closed her eyes in exhaustion.

          
        Driving down the highway behind the Impala, Emmy was honestly glad she had decided to jump at the chance to drive Ghost to Kansas. She needed some time to process some things. Like how Pippin was alive. How did the stubborn hunter pull that one off? No music was playing in the background, revealing how serious this was for Emmy.

        "I-It's 'kay." Pippin slurred heavily before blood bubbled up and streamed past her lips.

        Emmy jerked and swerved violently at the vivid memory she had long since repressed and locked into the back of her mind. She cursed under her breath as she got the car back under her control and continued on following the Winchester's, hoping to God they hadn't seen what she had just done there. She could still hear their voices as they attempted to keep Pippin alive long enough for one of the Angel's to heal her. Needless to say she hadn't made it.

         "Nanaeel ipamis die! Please!" Cas' voice rang out as he rushed towards the group, pleading for her to stay alive.

        Emmy grit her teeth as her hands tightened against the steering wheel so tightly that her knuckles turned white. No she was not going to just give in. She hadn't had an episode since her and Dean had gotten together and she wanted to keep that streak going. She may have gotten a little more stubborn and defiant since Pippin's death but now she wasn't sure because she felt her will crumbling rapidly. Emmy took a deep breath and prepared herself for battle. 

 

        "Metatron what are you doing?!" The younger, long haired, Pippin screamed as Metatron pulled away from threatening Onyx. He looked down at her in worry and she believed his fake expression was genuine. The British hunter looked past the Scribe towards Pippin, honey colored eyes begging her to help him. She missed the look entirely as she stared up at Metatron, waiting for a response.

        "I'm sorry I worried you Stardust." He started, using a common nickname at the time, softening her suspicion greatly. "Would you mind if I had you go fetch Anubis? He found information that we need to discuss." He asked warmly and she bought into the lie that nothing was wrong and that they were finally all getting along. 

        "Sure Tron." She responded easily and she turned and exited the room...while Metatron silently killed Onyx behind closed doors.

        Pippin screamed as she jolted awake and launched herself out of Castiel's loose hold, falling to the ground and beginning to crawl away desperately, her Grace burning her like she was being branded by branding iron. She collapsed onto the cold floor beneath her and buried her head under her arms like she was expecting to be struck. Castiel was jolted out of his silent reverie when his hunter screamed and flung herself out of his arms and onto the floor. He quickly kneeled beside her and she coward in a sudden and unexplainable fear before he gently laid his hand on her shoulder. She was shivering violently but didn't flinch away at his touch so he carefully gathered her up in his arms and held her, making sure that his grip was loose enough that she didn't feel confined.

        "Shhh, Pippin." He whispered quietly to the panicked and terrified hunter. "You're safe." Pippin buried her head into his chest as she sniffled and slowly began piecing herself back together from the sudden melt down she just had. Once he was sure she was ready he let go and brought her chin up, forcing her to look him in the eyes.

        "Are you alright?" He asked seriously, a protective tinge to his voice that softened her a bit before she managed to find her voice and answer.

        "Y-Yeah, it was just a nightmare. Thanks Cas." She said hoarsely before she settled back down into his safe hold. Pippin spent the rest of her night and part of the next day like that. She had been attached to Castiel's arm since her sudden nightmare and every nightmare she had after that he was there to comfort her...but for how much longer?


	4. Whiskey and Tea

Emmy, Dean, and Sam had barely gotten through the door of the Bunker before they were confronted with a coffee toting Pippin, a mug in each hand. Sam and Dean shared a look while Emmy raised an eyebrow in surprise. She could actually see her friend shaking minutely from the amount of caffeine she had been ingesting.

        "Welcome home. Castiel is in the kitchen attempting to cook dinner and Gabriel fucked off to the rec room with a gargantuan metal bowl filled with candy and sweets." Pip greeted before she took a swig of the liquid in the right handed mug.

        "Pip is that coffee?" Emmy asked in half amusement and half concern as Sam danced around the hunter to go prevent Cas from blowing up the kitchen. Pippin snorted in sarcastic amusement before she decided to actually answer Emmy's question. 

        "Nope. Whiskey." She said shortly and before Emmy could ask what was in the other mug she simply replied. "And Emberlyn Wesson Tea." Emmy and Dean just stared at her in shock as she took another drink of the whiskey. Dean shot Em his trademark, 'Is that normal?' look and Emmy shook her head in response. No it wasn't normal for Pippin at ALL. Pippin however was completely oblivious to the looks she was getting and merely sipped on her tea and whiskey. Sure, carrying two mugs around was an inconvenience but if it kept her relatively sane and from having the dreams with Metatron and the others then she was willing to sacrifice a little comfort for the end result. She snorted slightly. Apparently Gabriel had filmed her drunken stripper dance that she had preformed for Cas two nights ago. Not her proudest moment. She had ended up puking on the poor, innocent, Angel and he still comforted her and made her feel better.  Hopefully he wouldn't show Dean or Emmy that video. She would never hear the end of it if they caught wind of it. The sudden appearance of Gabriel startled the three hunters and Pip gave him a pointed glare that clearly meant not to show Dean the video.

        "Ember! Dean-o! You two have got to see this video of Pippers." He grinned devilishly before he snapped and they were all gone. Pippin smacked her head against the door frame before walking into the kitchen and depositing her now empty mugs into the sink. Sam must have kicked Castiel out of the kitchen because he wasn't in there when she put her mugs in the sink, avoiding the ensuing glare from dear old Sammy. Pip hobbled her way into the living room and that's when she completely froze in her tracks. There on a big pull down screen, like the ones used in schools, was the dreaded video. Pippin covered her eyes in horror and embarrassment before gathering up enough strength to look up and finish watching the video. She was shit-faced. There was no subtle way to put it. Dancing around a stripper pole that definitely wasn't part of the bunker plans and in a blue transformers onesie that she was absolutely positive she hadn't been wearing at the time. Pippin collapsed into the nearest chair as she listened to the roaring laughter from the three people watching the video. Not much farther and they would see...yep there was the vomit. Pippin collapsed on top of Cassie, still trying to be shit-faced seductive and oh god she couldn't watch anymore. What was wrong with her? Other than the fact she didn't drink often. She was pretty much a lightweight and here was the proof.

        "I wuv you 'assie." The drunk Pippin slurred excitedly, like she was sharing a secret that she was dying to tell someone. She heard Cas's low chuckle and she sank further into the chair. 

        "Olani hoath ol abai." Cas responded fondly, even though he was covered in puke, and Pippin felt herself blush a new color of red.

        "Hey Gabe mind translating for us?" Dean asked and Gabe obliged happily.

        "He told party Pip, 'I love you too.'" He translated and a huge 'Dawww' echoed through the room as the video ended and the lights turned back on.  Pippin finally looked up again and came face to face with Castiel, who had a worried look spiraled across his face.

        "Are you alright Pippin? You don't look well." He pointed out and Pippin blushed herself into a new dimension of embarrassment. She groaned before answering him.

        "Yes Cas, I'm fine I'm just not..." She trailed off, causing Castiel to do that adorable head tilt that she loved so much. "That was not my finest moment." She finished lamely and Cas chuckled lowly before he moved her suddenly. Before she knew it, she was sitting on Cas's lap and she looked back over her shoulder in confusion. There was Cas's smirking face. How did he do that? He wrapped his arms around her waist and let his chin rest on her shoulder as she slowly relaxed. She heard more laughing and she decided she was going to need more whiskey once Cas let her go.

        "Hey Pippers!" Dean called out and Pippin hesitantly turned to face his smug smirk.

        "If Cas wasn't holding me back Dean I would have smacked that smirk off your little bitch face." She thought while glaring daggers at him. She would never be able to live this down.


	5. Quid Pro Quo

The library of the Bunker was a medium sized room filled with bookshelves that traveled from one end of the room to the other on both sides, filled with various books about the supernatural and lore. A large table sat in the middle of the room, cluttered with various papers, files, and books. A cup of tea with two tea tags was placed nearby on a saucer and the light from the table dimmly lit up Emmy, who was leaning over the table, shuffling through the clutter.

        "Hellhounds...Hellhounds...Where is that paper?" She muttered to herself before the door to the library swung open abruptly and Pippin stumbled in, obviously a bit tipsy from her most recent whiskey binge. Emmy didn't even acknowledge her friends presence and she kept looking for the paper she had spent the past hour searching for. Pippin seemed to be fine without before she spotted the tea cup. She picked it up, inspecting the tea tags that dangled from the edge of the cup.

        "Two tea tags Em? You realize you’re slipping back-" Pippin started in concern before Emmy abruptly cut her off.

        "-Into old habits yes. At least it’s not Bobby’s whiskey stash." She countered and Pippin took a slight step back at the retort. Yes she had been recently drinking whiskey but that didn't mean she was addicted. The pain of the Grace was just easier to ignore when she drank to a certain point. 

        "Touche." She mumbled before Emmy finally looked up at her friend.

        "Let me guess, it’s nightmares again. Is it about Ca-"

        "No!" Pippin interrupted, desperation tinging the tone of her voice and Emmy flinched slightly at the loud tone she had used. "No it’s not about him. Not this time at least." Pip explained a bit further before she collapsed into the nearest chair tiredly, rubbing her eyes with the palms of her hands. No it was the nightmares about Metatron again but she'd be damned before she brought up that. The wound was still too fresh. Well perhaps not fresh but it still bled. She absentmindedly played with the tea tags while Emmy watched, wary yet concerned.

        "Wanna talk about it?" She asked.

        "No. Yes. I don’t know...what about you? I mean if you’re using English Breakfast and Earl Gray tea together then something’s bothering you." Pippin responded, deflecting the question to Em instead. Emmy sighed heavily before she sat in her own seat and hummed in thought. The silence stretched on for a long while before Emmy finally broke it.

        "How about we play a game of Quid Pro Quo?" She suggested and Pippin snorted in amusement at the thought.

        "Who goes first?" She asked and Emmy simply made a fist and set it on her other hand in the silent gesture for Rock, Paper, Scissors. Pippin stared blankly at her before shrugging and repeating the motion and they played a quick game...which Pip lost valiantly. She huffed in defeat before leaning back in her chair and spreading her arms wide open

        "I’m at your mercy you cruel mistress." 

        "Mhm..." Emmy hummed in thought before coming up with a question to ask. "Did you meet God while in the Penthouse?" She asked and Pippin immediately burst out into mocking and fake laughter. 

        "Please, If I had I would actually know what I’m doing instead of just running around like a chicken with her head cut off." Pip said darkly, unamused about her situation. She could have stayed dead but rarely anything around the Winchesters ever stayed dead so here she was. "What about you and Dean? When did that become a thing?" She fired back and she watched Emmy become flustered and blush heavily. If she had been in a decent mind set she would have awed at how cute the reaction was.

        "Um...about a month after you died…" Emmy finally muttered and Pip leaned forward in her seat in false interest.

        "Oh really?"

        "Uh yeah...um so...about that hunt...the one with Vela..."

        "With Vela...of course you bring that up." Pippin growled darkly and Emmy leaned back in her seat as she began to fiddle with the sleeves of her emerald flannel.

        "Pip, I shot you!" Emmy protested, her voice starting to rise along with how stressed out this conversation was beginning to make her. She started laughing for almost no appearent reason and Pippin suddenly found she had no tolerance for one of Emmy's damn fits.

        "Oh, so you think it's funny then?! You know what's not funny? Digging yourself out of your own grave!" Pippin snapped suddenly as her Grace started to react violently to her foul temper and mood.

        "No! It's... it's like why the coats need hats... and mirrors and tea…" Emmy tried to explain before giving up in frustration as her words became muddled and messed up and she continued to sorta giggle. Pippin abruptly stood up, knocking the chair she had been sitting over before she began pacing around the room in an almost hysterical rage.

        "No, please, by all means just keep laughing and having a ball over there! Do you have any idea what it’s like to suffocate on your own FUCKING BLOOD!?" Pippin demanded as she wheeled around and slammedmher hands onto the top of the table as hard as she possibly could when she said, “own FUCKING BLOOD”, causing Emmy to flinch away from her violent outburst.

        "N-No…"

        "Then what the FUCK do you have to say for yourself!?" Pippin demanded.

        "I’M SORRY OKAY!? I’M SORRY, I’M SORRY!" Emmy broke down at last and started screaming while she started clawing at her hands and wrists as the yelling continued.

        "SORRY ISN’T GOING TO FIX ANYTHING EMMY!" Pippin screamed back, starting to turn red in the face as her yelling escalated violently and Emmy moved her hands and clasped them over her ears, trying to block out all sound.

        "PLEASE PLEASE STOP! NO MORE PLEASE! PIPPY! NO!" She begged and the suddenness of the rarely used nickname jarred Pippin out of her bottled up rage. She had bottled up her emotions for so long it had finally exploded and now she was dealing with the results.

        "Em?" She asked quietly and when Emmy didn't respond she tried again, even softer. "Emmy?"

        "No no no no. I don’t wanna, please don’t make me! You can’t make me!"

        "Oh God I’m so so sorry. I...I didn’t mean to--Oh God. I shouldn’t have yelled at you I’m sorry. I forgot about your-"

        "I never meant to shoot you." Emmy whimpered and Pippin was quick to agree with her distraught friend. "I know."

        "I killed you…"

        "No you didn’t. It was an accident."

        "I’m sorry Pippin."

        "I know...I know…" Pippin responded softly and the silence seemed to stretch on forever as the two stood there quietly. It seemed as if hours strolled by before Emmy's broken voice cut through the air.

        "I think I hear Dean calling me." She said and she moved towards the door. "Emmy wait," Pippin started as she reached for Emmy's wrist but Emmy flinched away violently and almost tripped on her own feet as she scuttled back from Pip.

        "I-I need to go." Emmy insisted before fled out of the room, leaving Pippin there alone in the silence with her thoughts and growing guilt. A long silence followed as Pip tried to process what had just happened in the short span of time she had been in there for. Then the dam broke.

        "You. Stupid. BITCH!" Pippin screamed hoarsely while kicking chairs over and throwing things in the reach of her arms and ire.

        "How could I be so fucking blind!? What is fucking wrong with me!? Emmy was in tatters when I died and so I bring it up IN MANIPULATION!? I blamed her for something that wasn't her. FUCKING. FAULT. STUPID!" Pippin yelled before she picked up the tea cup Emmy had left behind and threw it against a nearby bookshelf, shattering it, before she collapsed onto her knees in the middle of her breakdown. She couldn't hold it back anymore and she began sobbing.

        "Jesus Christ, what have I done? I should've just stayed dead. I'm sorry Emmy. I'm so sorry." She cried, curling up into a ball on the floor before another bout of rage and self-loathing began again in a vicious cycle that lasted for an hour.

 

        Emmy frantically fled the library and down the nearest hallway in search of Dean. She needed Dean. The voices wouldn't stop and SHE WANTED IT TO STOP. She ended up collapsing in front of Dean's room, hiding her face in her arms as she curled up and muffled her sobs in an attempt to not bother anyone. Emmy knew that Pippin tended to speak the first thing that crossed her mind when she went into a rage like that and to know that she thought it was Emmy's fault that she died. Emmy couldn't handle it in her current mind set. She was just contemplating leaving on an adventure to get away from Pippin for a while when the door opened and she hesitantly looked up, tears streaked down her cheeks. Dean looked like he had just woken up and he looked down to Emmy. Immediately he was by her side, holding her and comforting her.

        "Shit, Little Wing. Who did this to you?" He asked, frantically searching her over for any wounds. When he found none he just pulled her into his chest and rocked her back and forth softly, realizing that any damage done to his girl was mental and not physical. He knew that she wouldn't open up to him until she had significantly calmed down but Dean was completely unsure what had set off this particular fit. She hadn't had one since they got together. He caught Emmy mutter something that sounded suspiciously like 'Pippin' and he felt himself growl involuntarily. She must have had a fight with the intoxicated hunter and that's what triggered her fit. Damn Pippin needed to get her shit together.


	6. Deal with the Devil & Malachi's Threat

 The dinning room was a smallish sized room, with walls covered in paintings from Heaven to Purgatory and other various pieces. In the middle of the room a large table resided and multiple chairs were carelessly strewn across the floor, most overturned. Pippin was leaning over the table with one arm resting on the top, the other holding a bottle of whiskey. One of the lights hanging from the ceiling was miraculously broken, raining down sparks every so often. It was just another one of the rooms she had assaulted during her reign of terror. She didn't even need to see to know he was there. I mean she went to a place that he could actually reach her at. She literally ran to Sirius's house to hide. Sirius's house wasn't protected against him.

        "What do you want Crowley?" She growled, not even bothering to turn around at this point.

        "I'm curious as to why you haven't smited Sabra." Crowley stated and Pippin took another swig of the whiskey, ignoring the sound of the King's footsteps.

        "Can't. She's stronger than me." She muttered bitterly as Crowley came to a stop besides her, firmly prying the whiskey bottle from her grasp and examined it with false interest. Pip let it go, not nearly in the right state of mind at the moment to comprehend the seriousness of the situation she was in.

        "God gave you the Grace of an Archangel. The fact you haven't obliterated that pest is astonishing." He fired back, causing Pippin to turn around and glare at him in annoyance. "You aren't strong enough only because you refuse to tap into your Grace and hone your abilities any further." He said, sending her a smug smirk that had her blood boiling once more in a flash. Pippin stood up straight, turning away so she didn't have to look at Crowley any longer while she tried to hold herself together. 

        "I refuse to become like Metatron or the weapon he wanted me to be." She snapped out, hands clenched into fists at her sides. Crowley chuckled in amusement as he leaned casually against the table.

        "Ah. This is the heart of the problem isn't it?" He asked mockingly and Pippin had to keep herself from hitting the Demon.

        "It isn't a problem Crowley," She started seriously before he interrupted her abruptly.

        "Is that so?" Crowley said, voice dark and mocking once more. "You're God's bitch, Pippin Ruger. The less you use them the more they wane." He warned her and she took a surprised step back at his words. Her fingers found the cold metal of her blade and she clutched it with a white knuckle grip. Crowley merely chuckled in amusement at the hunter's pathetic actions before getting to the point. The reason he was wasting his time here and facing the possibility of death.

        "I know you're considering going after Metatron." He stated in a business like manner. "I'm offering you a simple little deal." He informed her and Pippin glanced at him from the corner of her eyes in suspicion.

        "And that deal is?" She asked, her interest having been peaked by the Demon. Crowley smiled, knowing he had the hunter's full attention now that he had mentioned Metatron's name.

        "I'll help you kill the stubborn scribe but then you'll owe me a favor." He laid down and Pippin stumbled forward dangerously, the alcohol finally taking its toll on her systems. Crowley eyed her as she steadied herself against the wall before lifting her head up to glare at him.

        "I'll consider it if you fix Emmy's favorite tea cup." She compromised, not listening to the more rational part of her brain that told her not to trust the King of Hell and that she had to opportunity to kill him then and there. Crowley nodded before he turned on his heel triumphantly and sauntered out of Sirius's house as the Witch returned from her errand. The two stared each other down before Crowley had vanished at the end of the street and Sirius dropped her things while rushing to catch Pippin as she pitched over and barely prevented her from cracking her nose against the tiled floor. 

        "What the Hells was Crowley doing here and why in God's name did you let him leave alive?" She asked urgently as Pippin's head lolled around on her chest before she lifted it up to stare drunkenly at her friend.

        "He offered to help kill Metatron. Only catch is that I'll owe him a favor afterwards." She finally answered and Sirius gave a huge sigh of relief when she heard that Pip hadn't actually made a deal with the conniving bastard. Sirius wrapped Pippin's arm around her shoulders and hoisted the drunken hunter up to her feet before she began the struggle of carrying the woman to her car.

        "'Ere we 'oing?" Pippin slurred heavily and Sirius mumbled something under her breath about her friends new found drinking habit before she responded.

        "I'm taking you back to the bunker so you can sort yourself out and so Castiel and Gabriel can keep you from getting your hands on any more alcohol." She responded and Pippin frowned, the look more of a pout than a frown.

        "'m not 'n alc-oh-olic." Pippin protested and Sirius sighed heavily as she set her friend into her car before getting in herself and starting down the road.

        "Pippin within the span of about a week you've become an alcoholic." Sirius growled out angrily, disappointed and pissed that this is how her friend decided to deal with her past. Pippin sunk down lower in her seat, afraid of the witches' wrath that she may have just invoked. "You can't lie to me. I know about the nightmares about Anubis and the others," At the mention of Anubis' name Pippin flinched violently and sniffled lightly, rubbing her eyes with the palms of her hands in an attempt to banish the tears that threatened to emerge at the memories that came along with the names.

        "I'm sorry 'irius." Pippin muttered weakly as she sniffed again. "I'll 'et clean." she promised, her voice still heavily slurred and tired. Sirius pulled up to the bunker before parking the car and turning around in her seat to hug the suffering hunter besides her.

        "I know Pippers." She started tiredly, feeling much older than she truly was. "We've been through this before. You'll get through it." She swore before Pippin shuffled in her seat to get closer to the younger woman. "But you need to tell Castiel what happened." Sirius said and Pippin shook her head vigorously. Sirius pulled away and made the now innocent looking hunter look her in the eyes as she spoke.

        "Pippin look at me." She started gently, using her infamous mom voice that she often used back in college. Pippin reluctantly obeyed, lifting her head achingly slow before making hesitant eye contact with her friend. "You need to tell him. It would be such an insult to the others if you kept it a secret." She insisted gently but firmly, knowing about Pip's tendency to run and hide what happened in the years before she met Sirius and the Ravenwell sisters. Pippin looked down, shaking slightly with fear and embarrassment. Even after all these years she felt like what happened to the original three hunters, that she fought beside and was friends with, was her fault entirely.

        "Besides Pip." Sirius finally started back up again after a long moment of silence that stretched on for a while. "You can't run away from the past. I know you try but you can't. All it's going to do is wear you down and destroy you." Pippin nodded silently before they broke away from each other and got out of the car, Sirius slinging the hunter's arm around her shoulders once more before they began stumbling towards the bunker door.

        "'hanks Moony." Pippin finally slurred before turning her head away so the Witch couldn't see the couple of tears that had managed to escape and roll down her cheeks.

Dean seriously was considering beating the shit out of Pippin and teaching her a lesson. Maybe then the thick headed hunter would finally comprehend what she had done to Emmy. He was currently holed up with Emmy and Sam in his room of the bunker, where he had been with Emmy since he found her outside his door in absolute tears. Sam was standing awkwardly to one side as Dean sat with Emmy snuggled into his lap with his arms wrapped reassuringly around her. 

        "So Pippin ran off drunk?" Sam asked hesitantly, hearing everything second hand from Dean since the older brother refused to have Emmy retell the entire incident a second time in an hour or so. The hunter couple nodded in sync before there was a loud pounding coming from the bunker's door. Everybody exchanged confused glances before they proceeded carefully towards the front of the bunker. Each hunter picked up a weapon that was laying around the bunker on their way to the door. Emmy had snatched up a silver knife that was sitting on a table in the living room while Dean picked up a sawed off shotgun he kept nearby the door in case of emergencies or surprise visits such as this. Sam followed behind with the trusty demon blade. Dean flung open the door as he positioned the shotgun so it was pointing at the intruders. Wide violet eyes stared down the barrel of Dean's gun.

        "Sonuvabitch!" Dean snapped out before flipping the safety back on and setting the gun down beside the door. Sirius looked a shade paler than usual after her rather sudden encounter of being on the receiving end of the Winchester's gun and slumped over besides her was the intoxicated Pippin that had ran off some hours earlier. The Witch quickly recovered before leaning into the bunker and dumping the drunk hunter into Dean's arms and giving a shaky wave to Emmy before vanishing into the night once more. Dean growled in disgust before throwing Pippin at his brother and slamming the bunker door shut. He took a deep breathe to try and control his anger before he did something he would regret. Once he felt more in control he turned around to face the drunken hunter.

        "Pippin how much did you drink?" Emmy asked worriedly as Pip swayed in Sam's grip before smiling in a sort of loopy way at her fellow hunter.

        "All the alcohols." Pippin responded before she seemed to sober up slightly, a frown marring the once blissful look that had been on her face just moments before. "Sorry Ems. None of it was your 'ault." She slurred and Emmy felt her heart skip a beat briefly at the drunk confession from her friend. For a tense moment there was nothing, not even a reaction from either woman as the boys watched with baited breath. Then Pip broke the silence.

        "I heard 'ean singing a Katey 'erry song in the shower 'nce." Pip interjected and Emmy immediately broke down into giggles at last before she walked over and hugged the sweet drunk.

        "How touching." The smug voice interrupted and everyone spun around to face the newcomer. His jet black hair was spotted with gray streaks and was slicked back into a more Loki like style. The signature, probably mandatory, black suit was the first sign that this smug bastard was most likely an Angel and considering how he had somehow managed to sneak up on them just made the growing suspicion stronger.

        "Malachi." Pippin said with startling clarity as she glared back at the intruding Angel. He turned his head away from Emmy's gaze to glance at the drunken hunter before sneering in something between disgust and sadistic amusement.

        "Pippin Ruger, the Abomination." He responded, his gruff voice managing to convey clear hatred for the woman he was glaring back at. Pippin stuck her tongue out childishly at the stronger Angel and blew a raspberry. The three hunters struggled to hold their laughter in before Malachi's look turned from its twisted and ugly look to a more angry and sadistic look.

        "I see you've been drinking again. Can't handle Metatron's punishment for disobedience?" He taunted and Pippin bought the hook, line, and sinker. She lunged forward, her Angelblade laying on the ground and forgotten, as she tried to fist fight the Angel. Sam barely managed to grab her arms in time before she pitched forward and smacked her face against the floor. Malachi grinned smugly as he watched Sam struggle with the drunken and enraged hunter.

        "I'm 'onna fucking feed ya to the 'ellhounds!" She screeched in a drunken rage as she struggled uselessly against a sober Sam's unrelenting grip. Malachi chuckled darkly before turning his attention back to Emmy.

        "Emberlyn Wesson. I have an offer you can't refuse." Emmy interrupted abruptly with a defiant stance, chin forward, back straight, and shoulders held back.

        "And if I do?" She challenged, a small quirk in the corner of her lips indicating the beginnings of a smirk. Malachi's smug look dropped quickly as he took a threatening step forward towards the youngest hunter. Dean swiftly intercepted the winged prick and stepped partially in front of Emmy in an aggressive show of protectiveness that he was infamous for, causing the Angel to falter for a brief second before pressing on. Everybody was fully aware how vulnerable they were at the moment with Pippin drunk and the other two Angels of their team absent from the intense showdown that was occurring.

        "Your brother makes a convincing bargaining chip." He implied and Emmy felt her fingers clench into fists as she started shaking with unbridled rage at the not so hidden implication and threat he threw so shamelessly at her.

        "You won't touch Emmy's brother, Malachi." Gabriel's voice interrupted, causing Malachi to wheel around and face the Archangel that was leaning against the wall casually. Malachi cast a dark but defeated look towards Gabriel before continuing on with his 'offer'.

        "You and our favorite little abomination," A warning growl from Gabriel, and now the newly arrived Castiel, caused Malachi to pause for a moment. "have been a thorn in Heaven's side for some time now. Pledge your allegiance to Heaven and I will personally see to it that Metatron pays for his transgressions against you both." He finished and everybody glanced at each other as Pippin abruptly fell silent at the sudden and unexpected offer from the Seraph. Somehow Pippin had gotten close enough to Malachi to show her obvious disgust towards the Angel and her obvious mistrust. She lifted her lip in a silent snarl before she spat in the Angel's face. Malachi froze, standing rigidly in shock and disgust at the insult to his person.

        "I believe that's a clear sign you should go screw yourself with a wooden spoon." Emmy added insult to injury. At this point it was more than obvious that the Seraph was considering murdering both woman. He would have too had Castiel and Gabriel not been there to protect the four hunters gathered together.

        "He would like it too much." Dean added on to Emmy's comment, openly insulting the Angel in front of him, which wasn't a truly wise decision considering the offer he had just made. Malachi turned to Pippin and she snarled at him again.

        "Malprg oe Donasdogamatastos!" She barked out and Malachi threw himself forward at her before Castiel knocked him aside, ferociously protecting his hunter from his brother.

        "Enough Malachi!" He growled out darkly.

        "Leave before we're forced to kill you." Gabriel snapped, all traces of the fun loving trickster vanishing as the old Archangel returned. Pippin watched as six amber gold wings spread out threateningly and Malachi was instantly gone in a flash and blur of feathers. Everybody slowly relaxed as Gabriel decided he would watch over things tonight in case more of the God Squad showed up to off the girls. Dean turned to Emmy with a frown marring his normally handsome features.

        "What?" Emmy asked defensively as she crossed her arms over her chest and stared back at Dean.

        "Why didn't you take the deal? I understand that he's a feathered prick but even with you two working for Heaven we would have gotten rid of Metatron." He pointed out and Emmy sighed heavily, her gaze darting towards Pippin, where she sat speaking softly with Cas, before returning her gaze to Dean.

        "It sounded way too good of a deal, Dean. Something was off about that Angel and even Gabe came to our rescue." She argued sensibly and Dean nodded reluctantly. He wanted to believe that they could trust Malachi to keep his word but the Winchesters had dealt with too many Angels to fall easily into that type of ridiculous thinking. It was just too dangerous. That and Dean believed Emmy wholeheartedly. He could just feel something was off about the Angel and his offer and after years of being hunters, Dean knew to trust his gut.

        "Want to help me make some coffee and tea for everyone?" Emmy asked, subtly giving Dean an excuse to accompany her to the kitchen and back. Dean nodded solemnly before he followed after Emmy, passing his brother on the way by. Sam leaned in to whisper something in Dean's ear and Dean's eyes widened slightly in shock before he answered back quietly. The moment was brief enough that Dean continued to follow his hunter without drawing suspicion to Sam and himself. He wasn't going to leave Emmy's side anytime soon now. 

 

 Malprg oe Donasdogamatastos! = Burn in Hell! in Enochian.


	7. The Archangel's Advice

Gabriel was a lot of things. A Trickster, a Norse God, an Archangel, etc. But one thing he definitely wasn't, was blind. He didn't notice it at first, more occupied with his winged prick of a brother Malachi, but there had been a faint glimmer on Pippin's left cheek. Now that he wasn't occupied with keeping the ridiculous hunters alive, that and now that Castiel wasn't hovering over her, he could see the pure glimmer. Pippin was just laying on the couch, left side of her face towards him, as she tried to ignore the pounding headache from her hangover. With a little nudge or two the glamour easily fell apart for him and he could see what Pip was trying to hide. It had scarred badly enough that it was easily visible from where he was leaning on the doorway to the kitchen and it made his skin itch and crawl with more than just anger.

        "You can't hide things from me with glamour Pippin." He stated loudly, half in disappointment, half in sympathy. Her head shot up to stare at him with a deer in the headlights look that clearly gave away that that was exactly what she had been trying to do, apparently forgetting that he was an Archangel after all. Pippin stared at him with wide eyes for a moment longer before abruptly shrugging her shoulders and collapsing back into the couches embrace. Gabriel pushed off of the wall and moved to sit next to his adopted sibling.

        "I can heal it for you Pip, you know that." He reminded her gently and Pippin nodded slowly before turning herself so she was facing the ceiling instead of the cushions.

        "Yeah." She responded blandly, eyes unfocused and staring straight ahead like she wasn't there. He knew very well by now where her thoughts were headed and it was a dark road filled with painful and broken memories she would rather forget.

        "You should probably take a shower. You reek of alcohol and Demon." He finally teased a bit, nudging her off the couch and in the direction of the nearest bathroom. 

        "Thanks douche canoe." She shot back at last with that hint of the old Pippin returning for a split second. He kept up his smile until she vanished behind the door before it dropped faster than a smited demon. He swiveled his head as his ears caught the sounds of Sam Winchester's footsteps coming down the hallway and for a moment he donned his signature smirk as Sam entered his field of vision.

        "Hey Sam-squatch." Gabe teased, taking in Sam's adorably ruffled bed hair and tired slouch that made him seem shorter than he actually was. Sam paused for a moment to scan Gabriel's appearance and almost immediately he frowned in worry.

        "Something up Gabriel?" He asked the Archangel in concern and the Angel dropped his smirk and huffed in defeat.

        "Pippin and Emmy like usual." Gabe finally answered.

 

        "Jesus Christ Gabe was right. I reek." Pippin muttered in disgust as she peeled off her t-shirt, somehow losing her flannel half way to bed last night. She stood up straight again and glanced at the mirror reluctantly, knowing she wouldn't like what she saw there regardless of how many times she looked already. Now, with merely a sports bra on, the scars that traveled across her shoulder blades and back were visible once more, as was the bullet wound scar. However the thing that drew her attention was her scarred left cheek, the image of a rose with a large V intersecting through it. The scar, courtesy of Vela, made her want to throw up. She tentatively raised a hand up to the cheek and traced the intricate lines with her fingertips.

            "But first I want you to have a permanent reminder of who took everything from you." Vela's voice rang out inside her mind before a darker chuckle left Pippin's lips. It quickly spiraled out of control into hysterical laughter. The bathroom door abruptly swung open to revel Gabriel and Sam, who both looked concerned and alarmed at the same time, which only served to make her laugh harder. It was Gabriel who realized what was actually going on with her first and he drew her into a tight hug as the laughter turned into heart wrenching sobs. Her hands grasped the fabric of his familiar jacket and balled the fabric up in her hands tightly as Gabe permanently removed the glamour hiding her scar, making Sam's eyes widen in surprise before they narrowed suddenly in disgust.  Despite her original protests Gabriel healed the scar, the skin returning to the smooth and unmarred nature it had been before their first encounter with Vela. She could be pissed at him later.

                "I-I don't wanna be helpless anymore!" Pippin cried out at last as Gabriel sighed heavily in relief.

                "Then I'll train you how to be a proper Angel." He promised seriously.

 

                Emmy fidgeted with the edge of her emerald green flannel sleeve as her and Dean awaited the return of Castiel with news of her little brothers condition. Out of all of Emmy's family, he had managed to live the apple pie life that most hunters yearned for. Emmy had tried out the apple pie life once but as obvious as it was it didn't work out all that well. Dean leaned back in the chair, a beer bottle clutched tightly in his hand while his legs and feet were propped up on the coffee table.

                "Hey Emmy. Relax." Dean started, noticing the little tell tale signs that were presenting themselves blatantly in front of him. "Cas isn't gonna let anything happen to your younger bro." He reassured and she shot him a look that clearly indicated that she was doubtful of that statement.

                "What if Malachi wasn't kidding? What if they hurt him?" Emmy fretted, finally voicing her concerns and doubts out loud, making them feel even more real than before. "If he gets dragged into this it'll be my fault he won't have an Apple Pie life anymore, Dean." She admitted before Dean set down his bottle and stood up. He gently placed his hands against her upper arms and moved them up and down in a reassuring motion.

                "Hey hey. I get it. You're worried about Dylan, but Emmy," Dean moved a hand to lift her head up and look at him. "None of us would ever let anything happen to him." He promised seriously and Emmy hugged him, curling into his chest and already feeling marginally better now that his arms were wrapped around her protectively. They broke apart at the sound of fluttering wings and Emmy rushed over to where Castiel now stood, desperate for information on her brother.

                "Cas!" She started before Castiel held up a hand, signalling her to stop and she immediately shut her mouth as Dean approached her from behind.

                "Your brother is safe Emberlyn." He answered the silent question and Emmy sagged in relief before he continued with his report. "It seems as if Malachi's threat was an empty one. There wasn't any sign of recent Angel activity in the area other than my own." He reassured and Emmy let out a breath she hadn't been aware that she had been holding in. The tension in her shoulders vanished and she leaned back into Dean, the fear slowly being replaced with a more content look on her face.

                "Thanks Cas." Dean said, causing Castiel to nod once in welcome before Dean decided to ask the Angel how Pippin was doing. Despite his initial anger he knew all too well why the hunter could have started drinking so suddenly. She had something she didn't want to remember and she had been drowning it out with liquor and mint.

                "How's the Pipster?" He asked, Emmy looked back up at Cas expectantly, worry reappearing in her eyes  once more at the mention of Pippin and her questionable mental health. Cas sighed heavily, half in disappointment and half in concern before he responded to Dean's question.

                "Pippin is...recovering slowly." He started honestly. "She still hasn't told me what is the cause of all of this but," He trailed off, turning his head to look in the other direction, peaking the curiosity of the hunter couple in front of him.

                "But what Cas?' Emmy asked curiously, prying just a little at the Angel and the secret he was keeping. Cas turned his attention back to her before taking a deep breath, worry nawing at him relentlessly.

                "I saw inside one of her nightmares recently." He admitted, something that resembled hurt shining briefly in his eyes.

                Pippin screamed in agony as the mystery man dragged the Angelblade across one shoulder blade and towards the other agonizingly slowly, crossing other wounds that were still fresh and oozing blood.   
                  
                "PLEASE TRON! STOP! PLEASE NO MORE!" She begged, tears streaming down her cheeks as she arched her back in an attempt to escape the pain being inflicted upon her.

                "Cas?" Dean asked worriedly, both hunters staring at him in concern as he shook himself out of the memory.

                "Someone named 'Tron' is the reason behind the scars on her back. I caught her reliving the experience of receiving them in a nightmare." He informed them solemnly and both hunters had serious expressions of hate and empathy on their faces at the disturbing information they had just received.

                "Who wants to bet that 'Tron' is our old friend Metatron?" Dean asked darkly, a small growl starting to rumble in his chest and voice. Emmy nodded, a look of extreme disgust on her face as she inserted her own two cents as well.

                "I'd bet on my tea box that that is exactly who it is." Emmy confirmed, equally as dark as Dean.

 


	8. Ambush

    "Hey Pip do you have the machete I painted?" Emmy asked. Pippin went to lift her head and answer before she slammed the back of her head against the frame of the secret compartment in the closet of their room. She cursed and swore profusely, Emmy snickering slightly at the hilarity of it, before finally facing her friend and fellow hunter.

                                "The ugly hot pink one with unicorn stickers?" She grunted in pain and Emmy hummed in confirmation before Pip rolled her eyes. She fucking hated that stupid thing but she had to admit that when Emmy used it to kill Vampires it was pretty damn hilarious. No monster wants their head to be sliced off with a hot pink machete that has bloody unicorn stickers on the blade.

                                "Did you check under the bed next to Elliot and Sherly?" Pippin asked and Emmy reached under the bed to drag out the metal case that held Pippin's Elliot and a few other weapons. She flung it open with a flare of her usual dramatics before rifling through the various weapons scattered inside. After a few suspicious moments of silence Emmy grinned in triumph at last.

                                "Foooound it!" She sang happily as she wielded it, swinging and slashing as she got use to the familiar weight of a machete resting in her hand. Pippin screeched like a dying dinosaur as she barely managed to dodge a swing when she came out of the closet, the blade swiping just inches above her head.

                                "JESUS CHEESUS CHRIST EMMY." She screamed and Emmy sheepishly smiled at her. "What did I tell you about channeling Dean man!?" She demanded and Emmy tried her hardest not to smile.

                                "Just don't?" Emmy answered, causing Pippin to huff as she crossed her arms over her chest defensively.

                                "There are a lot of ways I wanna go but having my head chopped off with a glittery pink machete is definitely not one of them."

                                "Better than the glitter rock salt shotgun." Emmy fired back and immediately Pippin acted overly offended.

                                "How dare you insult my Sherly!"

                                "Oh I dare." Emmy teased before both girls tried to have an intense and serious stare off. It only ended with them both cracking and bursting into laughter at their antics. It was just like the good old times before the Winchesters and Cas. They both decided that they needed to do a hunt together, just the two of them, to help repair the broken trust and friendship that had been rocky since Pippin returned from the dead. It actually wasn't originally their plan either but it was definitely one they agreed with. Once Ghost was packed and ready to go Pippin slid into the driver side seat and rested her hands along the steering wheel.

                                "Hello sweetie, did you miss Momma?" She cooed to the Stingray as Emmy snorted, trying to contain her laughter at Pippin's ridiculous fondness for her car and failing miserably.

                                "Yeah, yuk it up over there Miss 'Ipod had a stroke I swear I wasn't checking this dude out'." Pippin grinned mischievously while Emmy blushed in embarrassment at the reminder of that one time. She sot a glare at Pippin that made her falter before she opened her mouth.

                                "Says the hunter who tried to sled in the rain and mud on a trash can lid." Emmy retorted and Pippin groaned in her own embarrassment at the experience. She hadn't always made the wisest decisions. That was one of them. As the engine roared to life, Pippin and Emmy began teasing each other and trading stories back and forth like it was just them and the road. And for a while...it would be. 

 

                                "And here is our shady palace!" Pippin announced tiredly as she threw open the door to their shady Motel 6 bedroom as carelessly as ever. Emmy snorted as she threw their bags down onto the floor and both women crawled into the scratchy beds that they were required to sleep in. They were both out before their heads hit the pillow.

                                "Pippin, Pippin, Pippin." Metatron's voice sighed and Pippin shivered in fear at the darkened tone it held within the falsely comforting voice. Her wrists strained against the manacles and chains that bound her to the ceiling, feet scuffling across the ground in an attempt to find traction against the ground wet and slippery with her blood.

                                "No. No. I r-refuse." She whimpered, cowering slightly as she awaited the blow she knew would come from her defiant words.

                                "I assumed that would be your answer so I brought along a friend to help convince you." He responded as Anubis was drug out. Sabra had her fingers knotted in his hair as she threw him forward towards Pippin. She shook harder and pleaded with Metatron not to harm her last remaining friend.

                                Pippin shot up in her bed with a shocked jolt, legs tangled up in the sheets and causing her to pitch forward before falling off the bed. She was covered in a cold sweat and was breathing heavily when her eyes traveling up to meet the figure of the intruder in their room.

                                "What a terrible nightmare, Stardust." He responded as Emmy flipped on the bedside lamp with a frantic motion, nearly knocking it over. The pale yellow light illuminated the all too familiar face of Metatron and Malachi, who was standing behind Metatron while he sat at the foot of Pippin's bed. Pippin scrambled backwards before slamming her head against the wooden frame of Emmy's bed violently, causing her to swear loudly at the sharp pain that followed. The sudden combination of events set Pippin off and her short temper finally reveled itself once more.

                                "FUCK YOU YOU DAMNED SCRIBE. I'M GONNA FUCKIN MURDER YA AND SEND YOUR BODY TO GOD OVER POSTAL!" Pippin screamed angrily while Emmy got out of bed frantically only to be seized by another Angel that had been lying in wait in the shadows of the room. He had a slender frame, tall, much like Sam, with dark brown hair pulled back into a ponytail. His baby blue eyes were narrowed in malcontent at Pippin's language but he dutifully kept his own mouth shut. Emmy struggled in vain against his iron clad Angel grip while Pippin was picked up off the floor roughly and slammed against the wall of the motel hard. She groaned slightly, pinned by the arm that was pressed against her collar bone.  
                                 
                                "Easy now Malik. We don't want to damage our dear guests" Metatron tutted in a mocking of a scolding manner. Malik had blonde hair streaked with red and the darkest brown eyes that seemed to swallow up Pippin's soul. He eased the pressure on her reluctantly, allowing her to breathe easier.

                                "If you dare touch Emmy I'll-" Pippin snarled darkly before Metatron interrupted abruptly with his laughter.

                                "You'll do what? Pippin, you don't even have enough power to take on Castiel, not that that is a challenge." Malachi informed her with a smug smirk and Emmy could practically feel Pippin's blood boiling at the jab that the Angel had made about Cas. Metatron butted in before Pippin lost her cool, or what little of it she had, and smiled gently at the hunters.

                                "No need for violence, Pippin." He started with a falsely soft tone that suggested friendship but really meant traitor. "I merey wanted to take a chance and offer you a deal in exchange for your services." He reassured her and Pippin snarled silently at the Scribe of God.

                                "Olani isro oiad kills ol!" Pippin spat out venomously and Metatron's smile quickly faded into a disappointed look that clearly meant trouble for both women.

                                "I was hoping to avoid another incident like last time but you truly leave me no choice." He responded ominously. Pippin exchanged a suddenly terrified look with Emmy before hanging her head in defeat.

 

"Olani isro oiad kills ol!" = I hope God kills you!


	9. The Bullet that Killed Ruger

"Emmy? Emmy?! Emmy, wake up!" Pippin's voice broke through the heavy fog that surrounded Emmy and muddeled her senses. Emmy groaned, eyes fluttering, as she struggled to lift the suffocating fog and darkness swamping her still even as she regained conciousness.

        "Pippin?" She coughed before hearing the broken sigh of relief that escaped her friend. Finally Emmy managed to open her eyes, trying to adjust to the sudden darkness of the room. The sillouette of her fellow hunter had chains and manacles wrapped around her wrists, holding her arms at an angle while forcing her to stand. As Pippin shifted while Emmy tugged at her own chains to test them before she returned to scanning the room they were being held in. The Angel that had held her back in their motel room was leaning with his back against the metal door, eyes closed, and arms crossed over his chest.

        "His name's Kushiel." Pip explained, causing Emmy to tear her eyes away from the Angel and back towards Pippin once more.

        "What happened while I was out?" Emmy asked in confusion, noticing the blossoming brusies spread across Pip's arms and face, and Pippin turned her head away, breaking their eye contact.

        "Just Metatron being a Douche Canoe like usual." She answered evasively. Emmy frowned in disappointment as she tried to get more comfortable.

        "Pippin."  
          
        "Yeah?"

        "I'm tired of being kept in the dark all the time." She protested and Pippin shook slightly at the accusing tone in her friends voice. Emmy felt a small twinge of guilt at the pathetic look that Pippin had sprawled across her face but it quickly vanished as Pip's grip on the chains tightened to the point where her knuckles turned white.

        "Emmy...this...this isn't a story I'm ready to share yet." She responded, her voice wavering as the memories cropped up once more. Emmy was clearly getting frustrated as she pursed her lips but didn't push the subject further, knowing that Pippin would tell her when she was ready, though it didn't ease any of the tension between the two. They stood silently for what felt like hours, the only sounds being the occasional clinking and clanging of the chains as the girls shifted. Both women were currently staring at the floor, concentrating on something else other than the problematic situation they were stuck in when Metatron and Malachi surprised them both by speaking.

        "I'm so glad you're both awake!" Metatron grinned as he clapped his hands together. "Now, I think it's time to have our small chat, Pippin, don't you?" He rumbled and Pippin leaned forward like she was going to tell him something important.

        "You should apologize to the trees." She responded smoothly and Metatron gave her a amused but also confused look while Emmy, Kushiel, and Malachi watched in mild interest.

        "And why's that Stardust?" He asked her, ignoring the violent flinch that came from Pippin at the old nickname. She leaned back towards him, beckoning him silently to get closer and he did. Once he was about a foot from her face she spoke.

        "Cause you're a waste of perfectly good oxygen." She sassed back. The resounding sound of Pippin being backhanded echoed throughout the room, stunning Emmy into utter silence while Metatron massaged the back of his hand. Her cheek was turning bright red and it looked as if the abrupt attack left her stunned.

        "Prehaps we should fix that mouth of yours hm?" Metatron suggested and Pippin finally snapped out of her stunned trance, grimacing at the thought.

        "But rest assured that won't happen...yet." He warned ominously as Malachi stepped forward to replace the spot Metatron had been standing as the other Angel moved to face Emmy. Emmy glared at him with all her courage and might, trying to drill a hole through his head with her mind. "I'm all too aware that our dear friend Pippin won't crack under pressure or torture. But you, Emberlyn Wesson, I'm not so sure you won't crack." He remarked casually while Pippin threw herself forward in an attempt to get closer to Emmy and Metatron.

        "We made a deal Metatron!" She cried out angrily, causing Metatron to chuckle. Emmy felt a sudden sinking sensation in her gut as Metatron smiled.

        "And I'll honor that deal. I won't lay a finger on precious Emberlyn, but I'm curious as to whether or not she will break to save you from being tortured?" He mused out loud, turning back to Malachi and Pippin.

        "Don't do it Em! I can handle anything this winged prick can dish out!" Pippin insisted before Malachi moved forward quicker than Emmy could blink, pinning Pippin's throat between his forearm and the wall behind her, and slowly applying pressure against her wind pipe. Pippin choked and gasped as her air way was cut off, hands frantically scratching and prying at Malachi's arm in a desperate attempt to get him to release her. Emmy's once relaxed hands balled into fists as she bit down on her tongue to keep her from screaming out Pippin's name as she watched her friend get strangled to death in front of her. Just as Pippin was about to lose conciousness, Malachi released her and stepped away as she dropped like a brick, most of her weight now strained against the chains and her arms as she hung there, trying to recover her breath. Metatron looked at Emmy with a raised eyebrow as if to say, "Checkmate."

        "I...I think you did better when Sabra was the one torturing me." Pip coughed out, insulting and infuriating Metatron even further, causing Emmy to roll her eyes at the ridiculousness of the whole thing. Metatron merely chuckled at the weak jab before turning and leaving with Malachi trailing behind.

        "Pip! Pip are you alright?" Emmy burst out once the door had shut behind them and it was just the three of them once more. Pippin shrugged as her hands gingerly touched her cheek and neck, where there would no doubt be new brusies.

        "Let's just pray to Cas or Gabe." Emmy suggested before Pippin sighed heavily.

        "We can't." She started with a quick cough. "They'll hear it on Angel radio and we don't want that to happen if we want to leave." She shot down quickly and Emmy sagged slightly as her hope there was deflated.

        "Then what do we do?" Pippin shrugged again.

        "I'm not sure yet but I have a vague idea." She rasped out tiredly.

Dean wasn't frantic, he wasn't panicking, and above all he was not regretting the decision to let his precious Little wing and Pippin go on a hunt together, just the two of them. Dean snorted in disgust and angry amusement at himself as he tried not to pace, trying to occupy himself.

        "Their phones could just be dead Sammy." Dean protested, an argument that had worked more than once in the past for him.  Sam gave him a look that clearly told him that this argument was about to be null and void in about two seconds.

        "Pippin always answers a text on her phone Dean. You know this, I know this, hell even Cas and Gabe know this. And she doesn't let it die on her unless her cord is broke or the phone battery is shit." He argued back and Dean felt his chest tighten further in worry and slight panic. Sam was right. Emmy may not answer her phone when she goes on her own 'Adventures', something that had stressed out both him and Pippin before in the past, but Pippin would always answer if they texted her. Maybe she didn't always answer a call or call herself but if there was one thing the hunter was reliable with it was answering her texts. Sam clapped a hand on his brothers shoulder, squeezing slightly in support.

        "Relax Dean, I sent Cas over to check on the girls. He should be back any minute now." He told his older brother before Dean shook off his hand and turned around in agitation, only to find himself face to face with the grim Castiel. 

        "Cas, you son of a bitch!" Dean cursed heavily as he backed up some, putting space between him and the Angel. "Man, we had this discussion! Personal space." He reminded Castiel before he took a moment to really look at Cas. His face was as grim as ever but his blue eyes had a veil of concern and worry hidden inside them. Dean's heart dropped at the look and he had his answer before Cas even opened his mouth to speak.

        "They were ambushed." His low voice rumbled in anger and self-hate, something Dean knew about all too well. "Malachi, Kushiel, Malik, and Metatron ambushed them at their hotel. I am unsure of when but they've been gone for a while. All their things were left there so I took the liberty of bringing it back." He finished solemnly.

        "What about Ghost?" Sam asked as Dean tried to process the information handed to him.

        "Gone as well." Cas answered shortly and the room fell into a heavy silence as the boys took some time to process the information they had received from their Angel friend. 

        "We have to find them pronto."

 

        Pippin's head snapped to the side with the force of the blow, blood trickling from her nose and the corners of her mouth. The all too familiar tang of blood in her mouth made her want to gag, though she settled for spitting out the blood onto Malik's suit instead. Emmy was straining against the manacles, the metal biting into her and breaking the skin, causing her own blood to trickle down her wrists.

        "I'm curious Star, what exactly happened to the bullet that killed you?" Metatron asked in curiosity all of a sudden as he moved forward to take Malik's place in front of Pippin while rolling up the sleeves of his dress shirt. Pippin's flannel and tank top were already ripped to hell, leaving her sports bra intact.

        "Bend over and I'll show you." Pippin snapped back without hesitation, making Emmy groan at the hunter. She was honestly trying to get herself killed wasn't she? Metatron chuckled slightly at the speedy retort as he pressed one hand against the bullet scar, causing Pip to flinch at the pain the contact brought. She opened her mouth, most likely to say something insulting like it had become mandatory for her over the week they had been there, when she abruptly turned several shades paler than she normally was. That was when the screaming started. Emmy had never heard anything like it before, from Pippin no less, and she knew it would be too good to be true if she never heard that scream of pure agony and pleading ever again. Pippin's once relaxed hands were balled into fists as a glow began to emanate from the scar and Metatron's hand at the same time. Emmy bit the inside of her cheek so hard she tasted copper. Blood. Pippin had drilled it into her not to give in no matter what they did to her but in this moment it was suddenly excruciating to watch her friend convulsing against the pain. And suddenly it was over. Pippin's screams stopped as the fragment of the bullet that had once killed her was extracted from the skin. Her head dropped to her chest sharply as she was left panting and coughing harshly and Emmy didn't how wet it sounded. Metatron healed her, the scar staying despite that, and smiled at the panting girl.

        "There, that wasn't so bad now was it?" Metatron said, subtly insulting her, while he examined the remains of the bullet he now held between his fingers. Emmy breathed a small sigh of relief as Pip managed to raise her head to glare at Metatron with a furious fire contained within those dark eyes.

        "Piece of fricking cake 'Tron'" Pippin breathed heavily, putting all the venom in her voice on his old nickname. "You should try it sometime." Emmy felt the small smile that tugged at the corners of her mouth at Pippin's complete lack of respect for the Scribe. 

 

        "Hey Cas, you okay man?" Dean asked out of nowhere. He had been watching the Angel, who had tilted his head in confusion before a frustrated look over came his features and he closed his eyes.

        "Cas?" Sam tried, Cas opening his eyes and staring straight into the youngest Winchester as a response to him calling his name.

        "She's singing." The Angel deadpanned and both brothers shot him a strange look.

        "Who is Cas?" Sam asked in worry and Cas tilted his head slightly again.

        "Pippin." He stated like it was the most simple thing in the world and the Winchester brothers shared a look before turning back to Castiel.

        "Can you find her?" Dean grilled seriously, desperate to find Emmy and where Pippin was Emmy had to be. Castiel shook his head and Dean wilted at the response before he sulked back to his Baby to get his mind off how helpless he felt.

 

        Emmy lifted her head at the sound of a small tune. It was so quiet at first she almost missed it but there was only one person who would sing or hum during times of silence and in difficult situations she couldn't control in anyway.

        "Pip...is that you singing?" Emmy whispered and Pippin chuckled softly, interrupting the sad music. She nodded slowly before she continued on with the melody. With the way the room echoed with her voice made it sound like a Siren calling for a sailor, which as creepy as it was having faced off against a real Siren before, was oddly haunting and beautiful.

        "Why?" Pippin paused, letting the echo finish before speaking.

        "Well, we can't pray to Castiel and Gabriel directly but we can let them know we're alive." Was her simple response before Emmy caught on to what she was saying. She also noticed how, despite the bruises and cuts she had, she looked like how she used to before she died. It was strange because Emmy wasn't sure what made her think of that but it was a strong suspicion she had.

        "Give me a little longer and I can snap these chains." Pippin said hoarsely, causing Emmy to sputter and choke on her own spit in shock and surprise. 

        "W-What?" She coughed out at last. "But you haven't even been able to-"

        "Smite a Demon since I came back?" Pippin finished for Emmy before lifting her head and making eye contact. A smug smile was plastered onto her lips as her eyes sparkled in triumph and a hint of Angel Grace that shone through for a brief moment. "I know. And I figured out why. That bullet was an Angelblade that had been melted down to create it." She explained smugly and Emmy groaned.

        "Okay?" Emmy said in total confusion.

        "I jacked it from Crowley a while back, don't ask why." Pip said before Emmy could ask. "But that's what's had me pretty much unable to use my Grace since my revival. Now that Metatron's removed it from me...well..." She trailed off, still smug as ever before when Emmy caught on.

        "Holy Crowes Pip, did you just create an escape plan?" Emmy whisper-yelled at her friend and Pippin nodded happily.

        "Damn right I did. Metatron just got played like a fucking fiddle." Pip snorted in dark amusement and irony and Emmy had a tough time keeping her excitement out of her voice as well as a tiny smile off her face.

        "So when we fought Vela?" Em started in confusion, the pieces slowly coming together.

        "Well, I totally forgot I even still had that bullet. So essentially I played Russian Roulette and sort of...lost." Pip responded sheepishly and Emmy decided that she would punish her friend for being stupid after they got out alive.

        "Pip, you're like my sister but sometimes you're dumber than a rock." She deadpanned, causing Pip to laugh like she hadn't in ages.

        "Yeah? Just wait til we tell the others." She grinned as Emmy snorted in amusement at that scene unfolding.

        "You realize they might try to confiscate Elliot?" Em pointed out and Pip pouted slightly, not able to do it for very long because of the wounds on her face.

        "Over my dead body." She muttered, making Emmy burst into laughter suddenly.


	10. Escape

The room was filled with a soft tune, something that resembled Don't Cry by Guns 'n Roses, as the two hunters attempted to pass the time. Pippin was in a state where she was half awake and half asleep, trying to conserve energy and strength so she could execute her escape plan while Emmy hummed, her verbal filter long gone at this point. Humming a tune always seemed to help with the atmosphere when they were in a serious situation. Though with the flippant way Pippin had been acting towards Metatron, they might as well have been in some sort of sick and twisted sit-com. Emmy's voice trailed off tiredly as she lifted her head up to examine her friend. Pip was covered in bruises, blood, and circular burn marks, courtesy of the smoking Malik. She wasn't exactly certain how Pip was able to withstand the torture they were putting her through but she had her suspicions. Metatron and Pippin had these strange 'nicknames' for each other that made no sense to the youngest hunter. Metatron often referred to Pip as 'Stardust' while Pippin often mocked Metatron by using her own nickname for him, 'Tron'. It made her think that they've met before, and if that was so then torture had to be part of that meeting. Her mind flipped to the 'deal' that Pippin had supposedly made to protect Emmy from the torture she was being put through.

        "Hey Pip," Emmy called out, causing Pippin to hum in acknowledgment. 

        "You mentioned some sort of deal with Metatron..." She trailed off, hoping that Pippin would get the general message she was trying to get across to her, before Pippin lifted her head with startling speed. Her eyes narrowed dangerously at Emmy and Emmy felt her breathe catch in her throat at the abrupt look.

        "What about it?" She said slowly, almost challenging Emmy to disagree with her decision to put her in front of herself. The silence was unexpectedly thick with tension as Emmy tried to pull herself together and string together some coherent words that wouldn't send Pippin off on a raging tangent again like she had when she had been drinking.

        "Why?" Emmy finally managed to get out, disappointed and frustrated with herself at the single word that had come out of all her effort.

        "Good question Emmy," Pippin breathed out as she rolled her shoulders in obvious discomfort, "But the real question would be 'Why not?'" She asked back, stunning Emmy slightly at the sudden philosophical question aimed at her. Emmy's neutral expression quickly transformed into a frown as she caught on to the new way Pippin was trying to dodge her questions. Pippin was suddenly really uncomfortable about answering questions she never had an issue answering before her death.

        "Why are you dodging my questions?" Emmy deadpanned and Pippin rolled her eyes over dramatically in an effort to conceal how suddenly unease the questioning was making her.

        "Why do you insist on prying?" Pippin shot back without hesitation and Emmy pursed her lips as her anger and frustration at Pippin started to bubble to the surface at last. She was so done with Pip running circles around her questions and never getting a straight answer to any of them.

        "Because you never tell me anything anymore!" Emmy exploded, causing Pippin to flinch in surprise at the abrupt outburst from the normally calm and collected hunter.

        "Well, Newsflash Emberlyn," Pippin answered angrily, straining forward against her own manacles, the metal ripping into her skin violently. "You aren't a fucking helicopter so stop hovering over me all the time!" Emmy tried to keep her emotions under control but it was quickly spiraling out of her ability to tolerate Pippin's bullshit.

        "Well, Newsflash Pippin," Emmy mocked, finally reaching the end of her patience. "I wouldn't have to hover if you just acted like an adult!"

        "Is that so Emmy?!" Pippin cried, her unusually sharp canines flashing against what little light they had in the dim room. "Maybe I'm not the fucking problem here!" She snapped back dangerously. The sharp sound of one of the chains to her manacles breaking from an invisible force going completely unnoticed by the two arguing women.

 

        "Dean, Gabriel is busy protecting Dylan in case they come after him." Sam said, trying to reason with his older brother. They had been trying to find the girls location since Pippin's eerie singing caught Cas's attention on Angel radio. According to Gabriel, it was a system they had designed if she was to ever be caught by Metatron a second time. She would sing a melody over Angel radio to let him know she was alive. Since then Dean, Sam, and Cas had been running themselves ragged trying to find where Metatron had taken the girls. So far they hadn't had any luck and it was beginning to show. Dean aggressively shoved Sam's hand from his shoulder before shuffling away to collapse into the nearest chair.

        "I know Sam." He snapped, sighing as he cracked open a bottle of beer. He just needed some time to think. Not having Emmy around him had affected him a lot more than he had original thought it would and he hadn't realized how much the two had come to rely on each other for support until she was gone.

        "We'll find her Dean." Sam reassured, the words seeming to fall on deaf ears.

 

        "FUCK YOU!" Pippin screamed, face red from the amount of screaming the two girls had been doing for the past five minutes. She opened her mouth to scream something else at Emmy, who was equally as pissed off as her friend, before the eerie snapping of the second chain echoed throughout the room and she lost all her balance, landing flat on her face.

        "Oh Crowes," Emmy yelped while Pippin cried out in pain, her hands flying up to clutch at her nose. "Pippin are you alright!?" She asked in worry, taking a little bit of amusement at the other hunters unfortunate accident. Pippin scrambled to her feet, blood trickling down her nose that was now crooked. An equally crooked smile decorated her lips as well as she raised her hands, grabbing the chains near Emmy's manacles, using her Grace to swiftly snap Emmy's chains as well.

        "Are you kidding me?" Pip laughed happily, sounding sort of nasally thanks to her now broken nose, as she quickly made her way to the door. "Never been better! I'm totally buying you three months worth of tea supplies after we get outta here." She promised before Emmy stopped her.

        "Did you just provoke me so I would get you angry enough to super charge your Grace?" Emmy asked as the realization dawned on her. Pippin nodded her head while she removed two black bobby pins that had been hidden in her hair and began picking the doors lock. Emmy just stared at the back of Pip's head in utter disbelieve before Pippin spoke up.

        "I didn't mean a word of what I said but I swear from now on to answer any questions you have." She admitted and Emmy took a deep breath to calm herself from smacking the hunter upside the head for being such a winged prick.

        "Fine. What happened while you were dead? Where were you?" She asked seriously, Pippin suddenly freezing up in the middle of what she was doing before she let out a heavy breath.

        "I'll tell you everything once we get back to the bunker. It's something everybody will want to know about." She said before the lock clicked and she opened the door with relative ease. Pip turned to smirk smugly at Emmy, causing Emmy to roll her eyes at the hunter.

        "Told you my old skills would come in handy one day."

        "Alright Moriarty, can we get out of here before Metatron realizes we're free?" Emmy responded and Pip nodded, her look turning more serious as she took the end of the chain attached to the end of Emmy's manacle and started running down the hallway of what appeared to be an old abandoned asylum. Emmy snorted quietly at the irony of the place the scribe had chosen to conceal them in. They made it a good way before Pippin abruptly stopped, panting and looking frantically around the seemingly endless hallways that surrounded them. She stilled, seeming to hear something Emmy couldn't before pushing her friend into the closest room and shutting the door behind her.

        "They can't have gotten far." Malik's voice grunted as the two women heard doors being slammed open and Pippin took a deep breath as she turned before hugging Emmy tightly. 

        "Whatever you do don't move a muscle." She warned before a strange, tingling sensation over took Emmy, making her feel strange. She looked down at Pippin's face, observing how hard she seemed to be concentrating, biting her lip. Emmy opened her mouth to ask what the hell Pippin was doing before the door to their room was flung open violently, reveling both Malik and Kushiel. Emmy promptly shut her mouth as the two Angel's entered the room, scanning it for signs of the two hunters. Malik growled in anger and frustration before leaving the room to continue searching for them with Kushiel close behind. Pippin let go of Emmy and it felt as if she had just gone through a waterfall, causing her to shiver, while Pippin breathed heavily. Emmy could only watch as Pippin smashed open an old, rotting window, leaning out to look down before she motioned for Emmy to come over to her.

        "We're on the first floor. It's a bit of a drop but we should be just fine." Pippin informed Emmy before Emmy turned pale. 

        "You're not suggesting we jump out of a window are you!?" She protested.

        "Well I'm the one that doesn't like heights so if anybody should be complaining it's me." Pippin pointed out honestly before Emmy sighed in defeat.

        "If I die I'm coming back to haunt you." She stated while she climbed up onto the sill of the window before gazing down at the ground. Pippin hadn't been kidding about the height as it was about as high as the top of a playground structure, and if ten year old monsters could jump from this height and be fine then so could she. She took a deep breath and jumped, landing before proceeding into a roll so she wouldn't injure herself. Pippin quickly followed suit before the two ran in the direction of the surrounding forest.

 

        "Chuck! Chuck open up it's us!" Emmy yelled as she pounded on the door frantically, her other hand tightening around Pippin's wrist, trying to keep the hunter upright after her sudden collapse on their way to Chuck's house. The door opened a crack and Emmy took that as her cue to barge in, pushing Chuck to the side as Pippin's legs gave out from under her, almost bringing Emmy down with her from the sudden dead weight.

        "Emmy? Pippin? What happened?" Chuck asked nervously as he moved forward to help take some of Pip's weight off of Emmy and setting the hardly functional hunter on his couch. Chuck took in the state of Pippin, bleeding, bruised, beaten, and exhausted before he turned to Emmy as she pursed her lips.

        "Metatron that's what happened."


	11. Jack and Jill Went Up the Hill...

The humming of the Impala's engine rumbled through the cab of the car as Dean and Sam drove to pick up the girls.  Normally music would be playing but tonight it was just the sounds of the engine and Sam tapping away on his phone. 

        "Dean, did you check in with the number I told you?" Sam asked, attention still fixed on the small screen held in between his hands.

        "You mean the one that you told me when Emmy went to get some coffee and tea?"

        "Yes, Dean, that one." Sam replied sarcastically, causing Dean to jab him in the arm with his elbow in response.

        "Yeah I did. It was some sort of Asylum. They were asking for someone named Stardust Ruger." He answered in a gruff voice. Sam looked up in mild surprise, knowing exactly who that name belonged to the moment Dean uttered it.

        "That was Pippin's nickname back when she was younger."

        "How much younger?"  
          
        "Highschool." Sam finished as Dean raised an eyebrow in his direction before turning back to the road.

        "At least Chuck's house is in route to the Asylum." Dean mumbled in false annoyance and Sam chuckled softly. It wasn't often that the brothers would get time to just talk to each other like they used to. With Emmy, Pippin, and Metatron; it had been a chaotic mess that took up their time.

 

        "That's a genius idea...if we want to get killed!" Pippin snarked grumpily at Emmy while Chuck watched the exchange between the two hunters. Emmy crossed her arms over her chest defensively as she faced the older hunter, a scowl scrawled across her face.

        "It's the only lead and the ONLY plan we have, Pip." Emmy protested seriously and Pippin snorted in mock amusement.

        "I hate to be the Devil's advocite Em." Pip started tiredly, rubbing her eyes and trying to stay awake. "But your plans are more likely to get us all killed. Whoever this witness is, we don't know him, and he could end up working for Metatron." Emmy pointed a scorching glare at Pippin, who was so drained from using her Grace for the first time in months, was in no mood to argue with Emmy and it was becoming quickly apparent that Emmy wasn't in no mood either.

        "You have no concept of what you've dragged us all into Pippin!" Emmy snapped at last and the room suddenly grew deathly quiet in the wake of her statement. Chuck's eyes widened slightly in fear and concern as Pippin lifted her head, the bangs on the left side of her face falling in front of her eye, giving her a darker and more dangerous look.

        "Oh, I know nothing do I?" She asked darkly before leaning forward in the seat. "YOU have no idea what that Angel is capable of! He killed two previous hunters, drove another insane, and tortured me to the brink of death!" She shouted angrily, a growing rage being lit inside her at the memory of the Scribe's past transgressions against her. Pip's hands had clenched into fists as she stood up, her appearance seeming taller despite her obvious lack of height.

        "You are the only relatively normal person, besides Bobby, in this entire damn Team! Dean's a 'Righteous' man, Sam is an ex Demon blood junkie AND still has traces of Angel Grace left in him. Both Gabe and Cas are Angels of the flipping Lord and I'm an abomination!" She spit out venomously, taking a threatening step forward as she continued her rant. "You, Emberlyn Vieno Wesson, haven't even died ONCE!" She snapped as Chuck finally stood up, planning on intervening before Pippin broke something. Pip continued regardless, none of them hearing the rumbling of a familiar engine pulling up to Chuck's house.

        "You think you have it oh so bad but guess what Buttercup!" She growled as Emmy stood up abruptly, looking calm but her eyes betraying the beating she was about to dole out to Pippin if she kept running her mouth. 

        "Okay that's enough. Pippin cool it. Emmy come here." Dean burst in, calm and cold, as he ordered the two woman away from each other. Pippin huffed, rage still erupting behind those green eyes, as Emmy sped walked to the protection and comfort of Dean's arms. Pippin went to follow, not ready to let this argument go, but Castiel's firm grip on her shoulder stopped her in her tracks before she made to shrug it off. She easily became irritated when Cas wouldn't let go and she wheeled around and snapped at him, feeling much too confined with so many people in the room with her.

        "Don't fucking touch me!" Pip let out without thinking, feeling a pinprick of guilt at the look of hurt that briefly flashed across Castiel's face before he turned to the side, allowing her to stalk out the door and jump into Baby, slamming the door violently to spite Dean. Dean flinched at the sound before looking at Chuck. Chuck looked back, seeming nervous, before he followed Pippin outside. Hopefully the pissed hunter wouldn't kill the poor prophet. Dean exchanged worried glances with Cas and Sam before turning his attention to the exhausted looking Emmy in his arms. Sensing that his eyes were trained on her, Emmy glanced up and attempted a smile.

        "Can we just go home Dean?" She muttered, slouching against him as she took in the familiar scent of gunpowder, whiskey, and leather. It seemed to calm her down some as she relaxed into his embrace further.

        "Sure Little Wing, but we have a stop to make first before we leave. You can sit up front with me and Sam." He reassured at her pitiful look and she sighed, appearing content with the offer. They headed outside just as Chuck closed the door to Baby softer than Pip had, the once incensed hunter now leaning her head on the window tiredly. Sam and Emmy slid into the car while Cas and Dean lingered outside to talk to Chuck.

        "I see you survived." Dean commented and Chuck shrugged in response to it.

        "Actually, it wasn't all that bad. She's pretty tame when she's by herself." He said before looking at Cas. "It wasn't a problem watching the two for you guys but next time a warning would be nice." He joked in an attempt to lighten the mood, which seemed to work slightly if Dean's slight chuckle was anything to go by. He watched as they got into Baby, Cas sitting on the other side to give Pippin plenty of room despite her not even acknowledging his presence, before the dysfunctional team took off down the road once more. Cas sat on the other side of the car, the furthest away from Pippin, in an attempt to give the ticked hunter some space while also trying to calm her down some with his Grace. She twitched, her fingers curling into the meat of her upper arms, as her fingernails dug into her skin; cutting crescent moon shaped wounds that oozed tiny rivulets of blood. The silence bore down on them while also seeming to drag on for an eternity.

        "Stop!" Pippin cried out desperately, abruptly beginning to thrash in her seat as though she was attempting to fight off an invisible force. Cas reached out and tried to pin her arms down before getting kicked sharply underneath the chin while Emmy turned around in shock to witness her old friend fighting against a bleeding Castiel's grip. Dean glanced into the rear view mirror before his eyes snapped back to the road.

        "What the Hell is going on back there? Cas!?" Dean barked before Emmy had enough watching and standing by. She started climbing over the seat into the back to assist Cas in restraining Pip before her foot made contact with Dean's head and Dean jerked the wheel violently, cursing loudly, while attempting to keep Baby on the road. Emmy tried to sit on Pippin's feet, Castiel having her arms pinned down in an 'X' shape across her chest, only to have Pip freak out and start kicking out wildly in an attempt to keep Emmy from succeeding. Pippin's foot made contact with Dean's elbow, causing Dean to swerve on the road once more, narrowly avoiding the ditch at the side of the road, before gaining control again. Sam had paled considerably at this point, desperately hanging on to the roof handle and the back of his seat.

        "Somebody knock her out already!" Dean shouted above all the incoherent screaming coming from Pippin. Cas swiftly placed two of his fingers to her forehead and she passed out almost immediately. The car fell silent, other than the heavy breathing coming from both Emmy and Castiel, before Sam took a deep breath and let it out slowly in an attempt to calm down.

        "Cas, what the Hell was that?" He asked, pushing strands of his hair away from his face as the tension eased away from his body, while Cas and Emmy hoisted Pippin up to lean against the window. Cas took extra precautions and buckled her into the seat, wrists trapped under the belt that crossed over her waist, before answering Sam's question.

        "That," He started seriously. "Was a Grace Sensory Overload." Cas explained as Emmy rubbed the bruise on her upper arm from Pip's well aimed kick. His gaze turned from Pippin to the others.

        "What triggered it?" Emmy asked, her worry betrayed in her facial expression and voice. She had never been good at keeping a poker face. That had always been Pip; not her.

        "I believe the bullet had completely cut her off from being able to sense things with her Grace and interact with other Angel's Graces. With the bullet gone and the wound healed..." He trailed off thoughtfully, trying to explain the situation to the others without making her sound like a danger to them.

        "She became a ticking time bomb." Dean sighed, Sam tensing up at the wording Dean had used; and Dean noticed. Castiel nodded back in confirmation.

        "Essentially yes. I tried to comfort her with my Grace and it had a...negative effect instead, triggering her GSO." He finished, letting the information sink in.

 

        "Why are we here?" Pippin asked hoarsely as the impala pulled up into the parking lot of a Psychiatric Hospital. Sam and Dean didn't say anything as Emmy just shrugged before they all exited the vehicle. Pippin took a good look at the facility before she took in a sharp gasp of shock and pain. In bold lettering was the name of the place that was all too familiar,"Ceder Hills Psychiatric Hospital". She spun around and turned on Dean and Sam, Knowing they had something to do with this. Dean jumped the gun and held up his hands, knowing he and Sam were about to get an ass chewing that their Dad would have been proud of if they didn't explain and fast.

        "Sam checked your phone after he barely missed a call you had got. You weren't at the bunker cause you had ran off after your fight with Emmy." He started quickly, Sam swiftly jumping in, not wanting to be thrown under the bus.

                "I asked Dean to check into it. He told me that a head psychiatrist had called asking for Star Ruger." He finished quickly as Pippin turned back to face the entrance of the hospital.

                "Fine." She growled. "Let's just get this over with." The others had to catch up to the fast stride that she had adopted.

                Pippin stumbled under the weight of her only surviving friend left. He hadn't stopped muttering, switching constantly between English, Latin, and Pippin was sure had he been able to use his hands he would be using sign language as well.

Pippin froze up, unable to get her muscles to obey, before she turned around and threw up on the floor. She knew this place. She knew why they were here. Pip looked up at Emmy pleadingly, "Don't make me face Ani."

  Asylums made Emmy nervous. Not because of the all too sterile and yet clinical leather smell that wafted through the halls and permeated through the very walls themselves. Not because of the nurses, or the Doctors, or even the patients; who's position she understood better than most would. Perhaps too well. Emmy frowned as she glanced down at the white knuckle death grip Pippin had on her arm as they walked down the seemingly endless corridor. Anubis' room was at the very end of the hall and it had taken a lot of coaxing to even get Pip this far into the place. The nurse, Poppy, opened the door to reveal a darkened room. The shades on the barred windows were almost completely closed shut, and what little light that did filter into the room was dirty looking. As the groups eyes adjusted to the darkness, upside down furniture came into sharp focus; some broken and fractured. The shadow crouched cautiously behind the upended chair followed their every movements, making them appear almost animal like.

        "Anubis, Visitors!" Poppy sang happily before she nodded to the deathly pale Pippin in sympathy and walked off to preform other duties. Once everybody was in the room, Sam closed the door and trapped themselves in a room with an unknown factor. Emmy watched warily as she stayed back with the others, Pippin finally taking an incredibly unstable baby step towards the shadow man.

        "A-Ani?" She whispered softly. Pippin bent down on her haunches, resting most of her weight on the balls of her feet. She carefully raised her hands up to her face and slowly began signing to Anubis. The shadow man, now clearly Anubis, moved forward. He was crouched like an Ape, hands and feet touching the floor, and Dean jumped at the sudden movement. He only settled back down once Emmy had taken his hand in her own for support and reassurance. She trusted Pippin without fault or doubt. Emmy was certain that Pippin would explain everything. Anubis settled down, sitting 'Indian' style on the floor and Pippin looked back at the others.

        "Sit. This is...this is gonna be a while and Anubis..." She trailed off, gazing back at her oldest friend. He signed something and she nodded in understanding. "Anubis insists." Pip finished. Dean opened his mouth to protest but before he could get a word out Sam elbowed him in the ribs and he obeyed with a sulking pout. They all sat down next to Pippin and got their first good look at Anubis. He was tall and lanky, though Pippin assured them that he hadn't always looked so thin.

        "Side affects." She muttered bitterly. They could guess from what. Anubis had messy black hair that was in a very short ponytail and the brightest blue eyes they had seen in a while; even though Pippin knew Cas' was more stunning. But they had this dim shinning madness in them, mixing crystal clear intellect. He wore the almost mandatory white shirt and pants the Asylum had provided for him. He also wore an ornate necklace. The pendant was plain by this centuries standards. A simple piece of varnished and stained wood that was fashioned into the shape of a feather with three places carved completely out. Within the feather was systematic and yet intriguing patterns carved into it lightly.

        "I came for your help." Pippin sighed tiredly, a strange look of raw emotions overcoming her and making her look older than she was while giving her eyes a shine that told of countless hardships. "I need to beat Metatron, show him not to mess with me anymore, but...but I can't." She admitted; Dean and Sam exchanged looks.  
          
        "Can't or won't?" Anubis said abruptly, voice hoarse and raw with disuse, and Pippin jumped.

        "Can't!" She insisted, only further frustrating herself when Anubis chuckled lowly. Anubis leaned forward; blue eyes gleaming in the dark.

        "Won't." He answered back firmly. Pippin wheeled back away from him with hurt and angry eyes. Emmy put a hand on her shoulder to ground her in the moment and Pip backed down reluctantly. Anubis cocked his head to the side, in a starkly different way than Castiel, and observed his friend for a moment. Pippin growled at him and he flashed her an animalistic smile.  
          
        "I don't need to be questioned by a madman." She snapped harshly and Emmy tightened her grip on Pippin's shoulder just a smidgen in disapproval and slight hurt. Anubis let out a roaring laugh before leaning back into her space once more. 

        "Pot calling the Kettle black." He delivered before leaning back to get a good look at Pippin herself. She glared daggers at him, almost invisible tears finally falling and rolling slowly down her cheeks.

        "What do you want from me?" She cried out. Anubis frowned and pulled her hands into his own callused ones.

        "Nothing." He stated bluntly before looking over her shoulders at the others. "Tell them about Knocking on Heaven's Door." He answered honestly, causing Pippin to stare at him.

        "And?"

        "Stop being M's puppet." He said darkly as he squeezed both of her hands slightly. "Kill him or not it changes nothing. Nor will you benefit from it. Revenge is a flighty mistress." Anubis finished before releasing her hands. She stared at him a while longer before nodding. As they got ready to leave Pippin hugged Anubis and whispered tearfully into his ear.

        "Happy Birthday Ani."


End file.
